Match Made In Hell
by KitKatBarStory
Summary: Prom Nite's only a week away for Billy and Mandy, and something doesn't seem quite right. To make matters worse, Grim needs the two teens to help him in the Underworld. It's a mission they might not survive. Sacrifices become a necessity; BillyxMandy
1. The Beginning

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. They've never been mine, and they never will be mine. Unless Maxwell Atoms says so, because he owns it.

Chapter 1

Mandy couldn't believe her ears.

Here she stood, dumbfounded, in the middle of the high school's hallway. She stared at her idiot friend for a moment before regaining her trademark frown and smooth composure.

"What did you just say?"

"I said, Mindy wants to go to the prom dance with me. She told me to tell you, so I did." The redhead repeated rather proudly. "I can't believes it! I thought she hated me!"

Prom night was only a week away, and, until just then, neither she nor Billy had gotten a date. In all her years of painful friendship with him, never had Mandy thought he would be asked on a date. They were 17, nearing the end of the 12th grade, and this was the first time a girl had come up to him, rather than the dummy making a fool of himself by begging a female to go out with him. It wasn't really that difficult to see why, either; he was an average-looking, average-sized, below-average intelligence young man.

His red hair had finally outgrown the circumference of his hat, and it poked out in stray clumps every which way. He still wore his usual red cap, no matter how many times Mandy had threatened to kill him if he did, and the same striped shirt, only slightly larger.

She, on the other hand, had grown up to be a fairly pretty young lady. Her short blonde hair was still kept neatly behind her head with a black headband, although it was slightly longer. Body wise, she had grown up rather nicely, curving and filling out in all the appropriate places. The only thing that kept all men (but one) away were her eyes: so much as a single glance would send any football jock running. Of course, there was the exception of Irwin, who had dared ask her, but she'd declined. Several times, in fact. But Billy? Being asked by _the _most popular girl in school? There had to be a catch.

"Billy, has it ever occurred to you that maybe she's just using you?" Mandy stated firmly. She doubted he would understand. And he didn't.

"Nope." He replied, still beaming. "It doesn't really matter to me anyways. I gets to dance with her! Ooh, ooh, look!" He jumped up and down wildly, pointing like a maniac. "Here she comes now!"

Indeed, the egotistical redhead was walking towards them, dressed in cheerleader's clothing and carrying pom-poms. Accompanying her was a large group of boys, all drooling and ogling her as if she were the most beautiful thing they had ever seen. As Mindy neared the glaring blonde and dopy boy, however, she waved them away carelessly, and they fell back with a sigh.

"Well if it isn't the Miss. Loser and my….date." The last word was said with some difficulty. "How adorable." She smirked. "And in case you haven't noticed, that was sarcasm."

"Hiya Mindy." Billy replied shyly. "Your…uh, boots look real pretty today."

The snob looked down.

"I'm not wearing any boots."

"Uuh, well, that just makes you even prettier!"

Mindy stared, amazed by the boy's stupidity. But the disgusted look was quickly erased as her eyes locked onto to Mandy's.

"Aw, that's sooo sweet of you, Billy-boo." Her voice dripped with fake sweetness, and she pulled him close to her. "I'll be seeing you later, right?"

"Of course!" Billy exclaimed, and grinned widely.

Already inches from his face, the redhead closed her eyes and locked lips with the startled boy. He hesitated only for a moment before relaxing into the kiss. Mandy thought she might puke. It was just too sickeningly sweet.

Moments before breaking away, Mindy cast one pleased look at the frowning girl.

"I'll see you at lunch." She cooed at Billy, and stroked his bushy hair 'lovingly'.

That did it. Mandy was an incredibly smart woman, and could sense trickery in an instant.

"What are you up to?" She growled. "Why are you pretending to like Billy so badly?"

"Pretending? Who said I was pretending?" The creep replied in feigned innocence. "Why would you care anyways?" She smirked. "Unless, of course, you had _feelings _for the boy?"

Mandy's brow furrowed at the very mention of her liking Billy as more than a friend. True, she always hung out with him, but that was due to her nature. No one else could stand her cruelty, and, likewise, she could not tolerate anyone else. He was a good-natured boy, true, and could be charmingly sweet… No, no. The blonde shoved all unwanted thoughts from her mind and returned her attentions to the cheerleader.

"Feelings are a waste of time." She replied coolly. The comeback disappointed Mindy, but she grinned nonetheless.

"I'll be seeing you, then." And promptly strode away.

Likewise, Mandy headed in the opposite direction down the hall. She would be late if she didn't hurry up, and a good record was important to her. It meant that she could torture fools like Spurg without being suspected of committing a misdeed. Her foot was halfway inside the doorway when she felt a sharp tug on the collar of her uniform. Immediately her fists clenched, and her eye twitched. Nobody was allowed to touch her without permission.

As she turned around, though, her eyes met up with a large pink nose. She sighed. Only Billy would be so stupid as to make contact with her. His punishment would be reduced, but only slightly.

"OW!" He cried out as the girl's fist connected with his face. He rubbed the tender spot only for a moment before turning to face her once more.

"What do you want?" She asked sharply.

"Oh, uh….Mandy, can I ask you something?"

"No." She answered flatly. There was no real point, however, as she was certain he would ask anyways. And sure enough, he pressed on.

"That's good! I know I ain't too bright, so I wanted to ask ya, how comes I gots this funny feeling? When I kissed Mindy back there, it was great and all, but it felt like something was missing. Like something wasn't all there. Do you know what it was?"

Mandy might have smiled if she knew how. He wasn't smart, but at least Billy had gained some intelligence during his teen years. By now he had the common sense to know when and who to ask for help. Almost 9 out of 10 times it was Mandy.

"You're the one who kissed her, you should know. How can you expect me to answer if I wasn't really in your position?" She replied, and leaned against a locker. She would never directly admit it, but she honestly had no idea what he was talking about. "I don't fraternize with emotions anyways. They only get in the way."

"Fat-cat-eyes with emotions?" He responded stupidly.

"Just shut up and get to class. You don't want to see what would happen if you make me late." The blonde straightened herself and resumed her short march towards the classroom.

"Yessir!" He saluted, and fell in step behind her.

She shouldn't have been so anxious to get to class, though, as the person waiting for her was less than welcoming.

"Hey, yo. I kept your seat warm for you." A nerdy kid with glasses gushed. Irwin hadn't really changed that much since their childhood-he was still just as lame as before, and a bit on the chubby side. Although he had grown up to be extremely tall, he still couldn't get on the basketball team, or any other team for that matter. Mandy silently cursed the teacher for seating her in front of him.

"He's a good influence." Were the words spoken when she demanded to be assigned to another desk. At least she had Billy beside her. Stupid as he was, he was infinitely better company than the dork be behind her. And he would allow her time alone if she saw it fit.

"So, Mandy, how's about you and me…"

Irwin stopped in mid sentence. The baleful glare cast his way was enough to make him cry.

"Never mind, y-yo." He stuttered, and pulled on his collar nervously. In an effort to ease his disappointment, he leaned over and across to the redhead beside his love. "So Billy, have you gotten a date to the prom dance yet?"

"Huh?" The boy had been staring at the glowering girl, who was trying to pay attention to the lesson which had begun. "Oh, ya. I sure do!" He kept staring straight at her, eyes partially glazed.

"Well? Who're you going with?"

"Mandy…." He replied without thinking. As soon as the words left his mouth, he clasped two grubby hands over his mouth. Billy thanked his lucky stars that Mandy hadn't heard what he'd said.

"What? What do you mean, Mandy?" Irwin whispered angrily. "I'm supposed to be going with her."

"No, I ain't going with Mandy. I'm going with Mindy. I guess my tongue just kinda got caught in a knot. Must've been that steak sauce sandwich I had for lunch." He patted his stomach lovingly while Irwin wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"Good. I still have a whole week before prom night, and I'm pretty sure she's loosening up to my charms." He said suavely. "At least, I hope so yo."

"Hmmmpf. Well, don't get your hopes too high." Billy replied, and pouted a little. "She's never in the mood to be nice to you, or anyone else. Except for-"

"DETENTION!" The teacher yelled from across the room. "You two can chat as much as you like after serving detention after school."

"Nice going, idiots." Mandy said unenthusiastically, without even bothering to look at either one of them.

"Aw, crud."

Chapter 2


	2. Something's In the Basement

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. They've never been mine, and they never will be mine. Unless Maxwell Atoms says so, because he owns it.

Chapter 2

Mandy sighed in exasperation. Not only was it irritating to be asked the same question over and over, but the idiotic pitch made it ten times worse.

"Please? Please? Please? Please? Please? Please? Please? Please? Please with catnip on top?"

"No!" She shot at him. "I am NOT going to get myself in trouble just so that you won't be lonely during detention. Besides, you'll have Irwin there. And Mindy too, if dissection class went the way I heard it did." She thought for a moment before continuing.

"Catnip?"

"Yeahyeahyeahyeahyeah! Milkshakes is gettin' old, ya know. I can beat her to her food bowl almost every single time now." He answered, like it was the most amazing feat in the world. She groaned.

"Riiight. Anyways, this is where I leave you." The blonde said as they passed by the detention room. "Have fun."

"Ok! Bye, Mandy!" He called out as she headed for the exit.

It had been a long day of absolute boredom, and a little fresh air was just what Mandy needed. It helped her to think clearly.

'Hmm. Billy deserved what he got.' She thought to herself. 'The moron almost never does anything wrong on his own, though. He's just too ignorant to realize when other people get him in trouble.' She closed her eyes and slowed her pace. 'I sort of wish I was back there to help him, though. Spurg's going to give him wedgies when the teacher's not looking, and no one else will be there to kick his ass. And Mindy…ugh, she's probably making out with him right now, the little witch.'

She stopped to kick a can across the road. 'God, I hate her.'

Images of the past afternoon raced through her head, with one in particular replaying in her mind; Billy and Mindy, smooching right in front of her. The very thought of it turned her sinister face red with hatred. Mandy mentally kicked herself a few times, forcing the thoughts from her mind. 'It's not jealousy.' She told herself. 'I'm just angry that my property has been stolen from me. Nothing more, nothing less.'

She clenched her schoolbag tightly. If only she could get her hands on Mindy….

By the time she had reached her front door, the blonde's knuckles were white and her face dripped with perspiration, despite the chilly weather. No matter what, her feelings would not get the best of her. And if Mandy didn't want her feelings to come out of hiding and surface, they wouldn't. No ifs, and, or buts.

Her face was back to its usual expressionless self when she entered her house.

"Billy's mom? Billy's dad?" She called out quickly, and threw her bag to the floor, spilling its contents. Not that she cared.

"Mandy? Is dat you?" A familiar voice called out. The Grim Reaper himself sat on her couch, surrounded by Crunchy Nutty Snacks and potato chip bags. "I didn't expect you to be here so s-soon, child." He stuttered, and quickly tried to hide the debris he had spilled. "You're usually out with Billy after school. I der something I can do for you?"

His question was answered with a blank stare.

"Don't talk to me about the twerp." She replied coldly. "And yes, there is something you can do. Shut up."

Mandy then proceeded to do what she always did upon returning to Billy's house: she flopped on the couch, switched the channel to 45, and fell silent to the flashes and sounds emitting from the T.V screen.

"Dat's odd. Where is de idiot, anyways? He's usually stuck to you like glue. Why did ya even come here if he's not wit you?"

The teen did not reply. Funny, how she had grown so accustomed to ignoring or taunting Death.

"Fine, den." Grim replied after wait a few moments for an answer. "Must be one a dem mood swings you female mortals always get…" He grumbled.

"Hiya everybody!" Billy yelled in his usual cheerfulness, and strode into his house. "Watchya watchin'"?

The two figures sitting on the couch just grunted in reply.

"That sounds interesting. Don't mind if I just squeeze in here, now." And cannon-balled onto the old coach, sending a wave of vibration coursing through it's old seams. "H'hey, Ma-a-andy, there's so-ometh-thing I wanna tell-ll ya-a." The redhead said, his voice jiggling up and down in rhythm with his body.

She kept her head propped up with her hand, only bothering to let her eyes slide over to meet his.

"You see,-"

He was cut off abruptly as a deep rumbling sounded from the basement.

"Hey Grim, I think the house is hungry. Let's make it a pastrami and cheese sandwich!"

"Quiet, you nitwit!" The Reaper shouted at him, and clicked off the television. "If it's comin' from downstairs, it probably has something to do wit me trunk. You two wait here while I go check it out. Probably only some supernatural creature, anyways."

The robed skeleton then rose from his slouched position, stretched, and headed down the stairs, grumbling the entire way. As soon as he was out of sight, Billy flicked the TV back on.

"Time to watch some good stuff, not that junky soap opera Grim always makes us watch." He giggled childishly and changed the channel.

"No, no! Anyting but dat! PLEASE, NO!" A shrill voice rang out suddenly. Following it was a series of blood-curdling screams of terror, and an uproarious chuckle.

"WOW! This show has awesome sound effects!"

Mandy grabbed the remote away from the boy and set it on mute. Her hand quivered in anticipation as the basement grew silent again.

"That was weird."

"Quiet! I think Grim's in trouble." She commanded, and put a hand over his mouth to silence him.

"Mmmphh mmmph mph muumph."

The girl quickly drew it back as slobber began to gather on her slender fingertips.

"Let's go see what happened."

The two teenagers made their way slowly towards the basement, being careful not to make a noise. Whatever had set Grim off like that could still be lurking, and was most likely not a foe to consort with. As the frowning young woman stepped noiselessly onto the stairs, she lost herself in concentration, only to be startled by Billy. The redhead, although shaking madly, had stepped in front of her, keeping his arm out in a gesture of protection. She scowled a bit at the notion that she needed help at all from him. But somewhere inside her she was also grateful, something she had never been towards anyone but him.

"I'll go first." Billy said quietly. "Just in case there's a big, hairy monster down there that wants to eat you."

As they neared the bottom of the stairs, however, they could see that there was nothing down there. Nothing at all, actually.

The walls of the room were scorched a deep black, and, in places, severely cracked. The furniture and shelving which had been there only moments ago were nothing but ashes and rubble, as were the items on top of them. Only one object remained opened, and unscathed.

The trunk.


	3. Enter The Boneyard

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. They've never been mine, and they never will be mine. Unless Maxwell Atoms says so, because he owns it.

AN: Thanks for the replies, people. You have no idea how much that inspires the writer and sparks the imagination. And, I forget exactly who mentioned it (my deepest apologies) I did mean 'nutty corn snacks.' I was just too lazy to bother to find the real name.

Hoping you enjoy what this chapter has to offer, KKBS.

**Chapter 3**

Mandy and Billy both stared, open-mouthed. This wasn't what they had expected.

"Did…Did the trunk eat Grim?" Billy whimpered.

"Ya. The trunk 'ate' him." Mandy replied, too caught in wonder to bother with the stupidity of the question.

"Well. We might as well leave now." She suggested after looking on for a bit longer. "There's no hope of saving him. Besides, he's the Grim Reaper. I'm sure he can take care of himself."

The teen gazed at the walls of the basement, taking in the horrific scenery.

"Must've been one hell of a monster to make cause this kind of destruction. Anyways, let's go, Billy."

She began to walk back towards the staircase, but was not accompanied by her lifelong friend.

"We can't go, Mandy!" He cried out. "Grim's been our friend for almost a jillion years. It would be wrong to just leave him behind."

"What does it matter? I'm not going to risk both of our necks just to get him back." She replied emotionlessly.

"But haven't you and him saved **_me_** lotsa times?" Billy countered. His mind was working over-time, trying to think of a way to get Mandy to agree with him.

"Well, I suppose…"

"We gots ta repay him! And if he's gone, who'll do my homework for me?" He looked especially worried about that last part.

The blonde stood her ground, arms crossed over her chest.

"Fine! If you don't want to help me, I'll find him on my own. He's the only reason I pass any of my tests!"

It was one of those rare times that Billy's brain had truly come up with an intelligent plan; he knew, or at least hoped, that his dear friend Mandy would help if he did. 'To make sure he stayed out of trouble,' she had said.

The idiot boy stood over the trunk for a moment, examining its size and volume. Then, without any real warning, he bunched up his hindquarters, and dove into the box-like object.

"Billy, don't...!" Mandy cried out in a rare instance of alarm, but it did her no good.

His legs stuck out awkwardly for a moment, thrashing and kicking wildly, before they were consumed completely by the black void of evil that filled the box. The force of the suction knocked the trunk off of its ledge, sending it crashing towards the ground.

"Damn him…" The blonde muttered under her breath. Now that the fool had gone and put himself in danger, she had no choice but to follow him.

Why she didn't simply leave him, she had no idea. There was no real personal gain to it. There were plenty of other people as stupid as Billy to exploit, or cause damage to. Plenty of smarter people, too. And yet still, she kept returning to him-and she had no idea why. But there was a time and place to sort things like that out, and that was not one of them.

The young woman walked over to the toppled trunk calmly, as if traveling to another dimension filled to the brim with horror and malice was no big deal. In fact, she quite enjoyed her visits.

More daintily than Billy had been able to do, Mandy propped the gateway right-side up, and stepped inside.

Immediately she felt herself being sucked into the portal, as if some giant supernatural straw were pulling her in. A slight feeling of weightlessness overcame her, and her feet found no floor to rest upon. A final wave of multicolored spirals filled her vision before she finally came to a stop.

"Billy?" She called out. "Billy, where are you?"

"Over here!" A childish voice replied. "Come, quick!"

Mandy searched around for a moment, trying to determine where his voice had come from. She was easily distracted, however, by the scenery of the land in which they'd fallen into.

Bones of all different shapes and sized littered the ground, and made a sickening 'crunch' with every step she took They looked like human bones, due to the size and shape. There were even a few skulls scattered here and there. The sky, if you could call it a sky, was dark and hazy. Black clouds and mist completed the dreary look and feel.

"UGH!" The blonde cried out in pain as her toe hit something hard. Looking down, her eyes widened at the sight of a rounded tombstone. More were lined up, one after another, in straight rows across the ground.

"Stupid rock…" She mumbled, and kicked the gravestone onto its front.

"Look! Look here!" Billy called out again, this time from only a few feet away.

Mandy stepped up to the crouched boy as his finger jabbed from one particular grave to the other. Whatever he was looking at had seemed to truly disturb him, as he was trembling slightly and kept grabbing his face from time to time.

"Bejik-lll-am-o-of, d-h-har!" He stuttered, straining to find words to describe his terror.

He uttered more nonsense as the redhead grabbed his friend's arm, beckoning her to look also. She considered punching him, but decided not to. The string of garbled words made him seem so lost and confused, she figured then would be a bad moment to hit him. She would simply wait for him to stop before doing anything drastic. However, the gibberish coming from his mouth ended only to produce something far worse.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

Due to the fact that he had pulled her down towards him only moments ago, Mandy's ears were only a few inches away from Billy's face as he threw back his head and

screamed at the top of his lungs. Now would be the time to strike.

"AAAAAHH-OOWW!!!"

"Pipe down." She commanded after rubbing her ear. "We still don't know what could be lurking around here." The dolt nodded his head violently, and stabbed his finger once more at the two tombstones.

"What is it?" She asked, and squinted her eyes against the foggy mist. She crouched down next to him to get a better look at whatever it was.

"Oh."

Two names were written very clearly across the two headstones: BILLY and MANDY. They were placed so neatly beside each other, Mandy couldn't help but wonder if there was some symbolism behind it. Or perhaps it was just a coincidence. Just a big, scary coincidence. Then again…

"Why, Mandy? Why are our names there?" The boy asked fearfully.

"I…Have no idea." She whispered in awe.

The corner of Billy's mouth twitched for a moment.

"Don't know? Don't know?! That's what I'M supposed to say!"

Anger flared up inside the teen, and her lips curled into a terrifying snarl. The idiot may have been, well, and idiot, but he knew when to shut up.

"C'mon." The blonde said angrily. "Let's just hurry up and find Grim and get out of this Godforsaken place."

"Ooh, look! There he is!"

Billy grabbed her face in his hands and turned it off to the side, where a miniature version of the Reaper was forming in mid-air. It looked around wildly for a moment, as if making sure the coast was clear.

"Billy! Mandy!" It spoke hurriedly, still keeping on the lookout for the unforeseen. "I need your help, and I haven't got much time to explain the finer details of tings. So come 'ere, quickly!" He waved his bony hands, signaling for them to come closer.

The two teens crawled across the jagged ground towards the figure.

"How're you talkin' to us? And how comes yer not real?" The redhead questioned, and waved his hand through the Grim look-alike.

"Hologram." He explained quickly. "Me scythe can do a lot of amazing tings, boy, and reaching over and across dimensions in one a dem."

Billy put his hands on his hips, not fully satisfied with the answer.

"Neva mind dat. I'm runnin' out of time. You two need to use dose tombstones-"

He pointed to the array of memorials- "-to hop across dimensions, 'til ya reach de Underworld."

Billy just stared stupidly. He had no idea what the skeleton was talking about, or how to make sense of it. "It might seem odd, but ya gotta trust me."

"Where are you, anyways? Who took you away from us?" Mandy asked. She had a knack for looking into the innermost details of situations, and figuring things out from there.

"Yeah? And how comes these bones taste like dried up pizza?" The redhead interjected, and began gnawing on large skull, only to spit it back out again. Mandy slapped it away from his hands, and stared Grim down.

Completely ignoring Billy's question, and focusing on Mandy's, the Reaper sighed in frustration.

"An old nemisis." He replied, his hollow eyes narrowing down to slits. "Almost as powerful as meself. You'll find out more when ya reach the Underworld-I have friends dere who can help you two."

The hologram gasped as it began to fade away. "I don't have much power left," It said quickly. "Just remember two things-one, your help may make a difference in the fate of de Earth." The figure was little more than an outline now. "And two, use da tombstones! Dey'll take ya to weird places, but dey will help…!"

And it disappeared completely, leaving behind a puzzled boy and irritated girl.

"Fate of the Earth?" The blonde repeated, turning towards her dim-witted companion.

"That is _so_ cliché." He finished for her.


	4. Unsure Of Where They're Headed

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. They've never been mine, and they never will be mine. Unless Maxwell Atoms says so, because he owns it.

**Chapter 4**

Mandy stood up from her crouched position, and took another piercing glance at the spot where Grim had been only moments before.

The Underworld. They hadn't been there in a while, as things had been pretty normal for the past few weeks. If one could consider having the Grim Reaper and a boy who thought Russia was a state as friends normal.

But fate had a funny way of stabbing you in the back when you least expected it. Mandy berated herself for being so stupid as to think perhaps their adventures were drawing to an end.

"Should've known." She mumbled.

Funny, how it was the Underworld, though. When she was younger, about 10 years old, one of her main goals was to one day become empress of the land below. She had relished in the fact that, with Grim at her command, she could one day rule. Those dreams had long been forgotten, though. Such childish wishes were never going to be granted, as her intelligence had led her to conclude.

How would she ever attain that status, when she was but a mortal? And once she was dead, the Reaper would no longer be under her power. No, if she wanted to gain any power, it would have to be during the life she was given, not her death. That was one of the reasons she had become very interest in law-what better way was there to gain political status than to become a politician? She could work her way up from there, until she was powerful enough to become a dominant ruler.

There had been, however, times when she had dreamt of a more pacified life. Perhaps it would be unwise to conquer the Earth, and risky as well. The thought of simply settling down and living a peaceful, normal life had spanned across her mind, although few and far between. But they were there.

"Wow. This is important, isn't it?" Billy said slowly, once again stopping Mandy's train of thought. "I mean, even if there are evil bananas and stuff in there, and a really corny plot, we still gots to go get Grim, huh?"

"I suppose we have no choice now." She grumbled. "I don't see a way to get back to our world. Besides, life on Earth can't function without death, like it can't without chaos."

"Oh, Mandy, what if we can never get out of here!" Billy cried out. "We'll have to sit here and wait and wait and wait and wait and wait and wait forever until we go mad, or worse, crazy!" He was rambling by now, only half-comprehending what exactly he was saying.

"And we'll have to eat each other and become cannon bulls to survive." The redhead grabbed her shoulders and pulled her close to his chest. "You can eat me first," He whimpered, "even though I'll probably taste like old smell-ay socks. We'll just find our happy place, find our happy place,"

He closed his eyes and squeezed until he nearly suffocated her, and began to stroke her blonde hair, as if to soothe them both. With great effort the girl managed to rip herself from his grasp, until only his hands were left to rest on her shoulders.

He blushed deeply, and removed them from her. Much to her surprise, Mandy also found her own cheeks begin to deepen in color. Was she blushing? No, it couldn't be-Mandy didn't feel embarrassment for her actions.

"Must be those retched hormones." She thought to herself. "That always get in the way in the most inconvenient of times."

She didn't quite realize it, but deep down even she did not believe what she was saying.

"I'm sorry." Billy mumbled, snapping her out of her trance. The girl frowned at him piercingly, and he shuffled his feet uncomfortably. "It's just, whats are we gonna do?"

The blonde shook her head. "We'll have to do as Grim says." She answered reluctantly. "Might as well get on with it. We've got school tomorrow."

She calmly walked over to the tombstones to the left, the idiot following right behind her.

BILLY and MANDY….

The girl stared for a few moments, trying to decipher what the symbolism was behind the two graves. From what Grim had said, it could be determined that they were, in fact, addressing her and her friend. But why? And why were they so close to one another?

"What do we do with 'em? Maybe we're supposed to try and eat them!" Billy yelled, and scampered up towards the headstones. Whatever fear had been plaguing him before

seemed to have vanished completely. He poked them both, then gave each a test lick.

"Billy, no."

"But it's the only way! Can't you see?" He countered.

"Fine, then. But don't come sniveling up to me when all of your teeth are broken."

The boy opened his mouth as wide as it would go, revealing a set of un-brushed teeth and cavities. In one swift movement, he had latched onto the gravestone marked BILLY, biting down as hard as he possibly could.

It didn't budge.

After having no success, Billy tried a different approach. He grabbed onto the round surface with both hands, clenched his teeth down farther, and pulled with all his might. The stone finally came loose, sending the dolt flying onto his back. The tombstone landed on his stomach forcefully, knocking the wind out of him.

"I-I did it." He murmured from underneath the heavy object. "That's because I am a man, and men know how to use their teeth." He pointed his wavering finger upwards in emphasis before letting his arm go limp beside him.

"Billy, get out from under there." Mandy sighed.

There was no reply.

"Billy?"

She rolled her eyes in annoyance and walked over to his fallen form. If the nincompoop had gone and hurt himself…

The blonde removed the block of stone with ease, and looked downwards. He wasn't hurt, although unconscious. Only a few scratches and bruises marked his round face.

A few moments later, one eyelid opened with some difficulty, and then the next. After blinking a few times, Billy's vision returned to normal, only to see the glowering girl standing over him, hands on hips.

"Get up."

The redhead extended one arm, hoping for assistance. Mandy looked at his outstretched hand, but did not take it. Instead, she raised the tombstone over his head.

"Get up." She repeated. This time, he rose all on his own.

The boy brushed himself off quickly while the blonde examined the empty space where BILLY's grave had just been. Instead of the expected dead grass and dirt, a pool of swirling colors was present. The colors were vibrant and joyous, which suited the tombstone's owner's personality to a T. It looked a lot like the portals Grim would open with his scythe, although located on the ground, and not in the sky.

"A vortex of unimaginable terror!" Billy exclaimed. "Quick, let's move the other tombstone." Logical thinking had leaked into his brain cavities for the second time in a day. A new record, by his standards.

Using a similar, though less painful process, he removed MANDY's stone, and looked down. The same sight appeared, although the colors were much darker. Gloomy purples, blacks, and deep reds. A thick swirl of colors adjoined the two portals, so that it looked like some ghoul had decided to play a twisted came of connect-the-dots. The line, although leaning more to the bright side, was filled with contrasting colors of light pinks, dark blues, creamy yellows and unhappy browns.

"Oooh…it's so pretty!" Billy giggled, and stuck his nose into the array of colors.

"Pretty?" Mandy said disdainfully. "This is anything but pretty. Don't you understand what these are?" The boy shook his head. The girl pinched the skin above her nose (if she had a nose) in exasperation, much like she had done as a child.

"These are portals to parallel universes." She said in her usual monotone. "Most likely we'll be dealing with our parallel selves as well. That's why the headstones have our names on it."

Billy picked up a rib bone and twirled it around his fingers.

"So, which one should we go into?"

"I don't think it'll matter, since they're connected." She dipped the edge of her black shoe into the vortex on the right, then kicked a stray bone it. It fell out of sight.

"Then let's go!" The boy yelled joyously, and grabbed her arm. "Eenie-meenie, miny moe, something, something, blih blah bloh-that one!"

He pointed to the one marked BILLY and jumped in, dragging the blonde in with him. She despised it when he did things like that without first consulting her.

"Heeheeheeheehee!" Billy giggled stupidly as the graveyard faded from sight.

A familiar feeling of weightlessness returned, but not the suction. This time around, the journey was much smoother, and felt more like they were drifting than being pulled inwards. A wave of blue rings rushed at the duo from out of nowhere, sending a slight wave of nausea coursing through both of them.

"Erp! Mandy, I think I'm gonna be sick!" The boy screeched, and clutched his mouth.

"Well then, aim it that way!" Mandy shouted at him, and turned her head.

"I already did!"

Mandy shuddered at the thought of Billy's puke being left in the space between dimensions. Whatever super natural being that came that way next would be in for a disgusting surprise.

"A light at the end of the tunnel." Billy observed, and pointed at the brightness growing in the distance. "Are we goings to die?"

"You will if you don't shut up."

Her snide remark was the last thing either of them said, as they felt themselves being pushed out of the realm. The two teens closed their eyes and waited for the final stage of the trip to end. When they opened them again, they were shocked at what they saw.

"Hey! This looks like the old Endsville!" Billy shouted, spraying spit everywhere.

Indeed, it looked very similar. The same sideways houses and unexciting shops lined the streets. The same dreary, bland sky that heightened the boring setting. The same everything, really.

"Hey, lookit!" Billy chirped happily, and looked in the opposite direction. "That over there reallyreallyreeeeeeally looks the same."

AN: I just revised this note, since apparently it seemed a bit confusing. (No worries.) Anyways, I thought that Mandy becoming Queen of the Underworld was always a rather far-fetched thought, as it could really only happen if Grim loved her. (I find it more parental love than romance.) After doing some searching, though, it seems as though Mandy becoming a powerful empress doesn't seem all that unrealistic. I just added in the thoughts of leading a normal life (Mandy's thoughts) to better suit this story. I have nothing against those opinions, but I suppose the story I have chosen doesn't really flow all that well with that theme. I still find it cool, though, and I loved the stories I read so far that have it in them and the authors that wrote them. (frogman, Endsville, etc.)


	5. Parallel Bodies, Different Personalities

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. They've never been mine, and they never will be mine. Unless Maxwell Atoms says so, because he owns it.

AN: Yowch. I got a few less reviews than usual…ah, well, you can't expect people to be around 24/7. On a lighter note….

Yay! I got the opportunity to write Billy and Mandy's opposites! T'was a real treat, I dare say. Perhaps other people's opinions on what their counterparts might be are different, but hey, you never know.

**Chapter 5**

Mandy looked over, expecting to see something less than extravagant. Most likely only a dog doing its business, or something else that seemed to excite him to no end. Instead, she saw something a bit more interesting.

Parallel selves.

A boy and a girl stood a few meters away, looking just as shocked as she felt. Their emotions showed clearly, though, and hers did not. The girl's face was truly a painting of horror, and her blue eyes were wide with fright. True, she looked like Mandy did: blonde hair, no nose, and pink attire, but defiantly did not project the aura of devastation as she did. Quite the opposite really. She looked more stupid than anything else.

"William, are they c-clones?" She questioned the redhead beside her. Her long, shoulder-length blonde hair seemed to vibrate with idiocy itself as she asked. Mandy found it disturbingly familiar.

"I'm not sure, Amanda." The male replied. "Maybe they're something from Master Grim's trunk. Besides, they don't look like clones. They're far too ugly." He straightened his bright blue cap and stared inquisitively at Billy. "This one looks quite like me, though, don't you say? Frighteningly so."

His abnormally large pink nose touched his parallel's. The 'real' Billy jumped back, squeaking out something inaudible.

"In still think they're clones." Amanda said again.

She raised one eyebrow at Billy at the exact same moment he did. She waved her left hand, he waved his right. He jumped up and down like a baboon, as did he. Their mindless actions continued for some time before each back away from the other.

"MANDY, CLONES!"

"WILLIAM, CLONES!"

They yelled in unison, and jumped back behind each of their companions. Mandy and the William shared a quick, uncaring glance. It was time enough to share the same thought.

_Idiots._

"Where is this 'Master' Grim?" Mandy demanded, not wishing to waste any more time than she had to.

"Ah-ah-ah." The redhead said, waggling his finger. "Not until you explain yourselves."

"We had Grim's trunk, see, and we jumped in to find Grim and then there was this big dark place filled with bones that went 'clackity clack clack' and then Grim showed up and he tolds us to use the tombstones and we did and now we're here and I'm looking at you and then you asked us to explainses why we're here and I said it's because we had Grim's trunk and then we jumped in to look for him and, oooh."

Billy had tried to leap in and explain what he and Mandy were doing there, while William and Amanda tried to pick out bits and pieces of his tale that they could understand. Tired of having to hit him, the crafty blonde had simply placed one of her silver watches in front of him (most likely one she had stolen from him) and sighed as he watched it dangle in fascination.

"Shiiiiiiiiiny!"

"I suppose I understand the general gist of things, although I must say, I'm a bit disappointed." William commented. His English accent grew thick with dissatisfaction.

"Come with us to Master Grim. He'll know what to do with you."

"Why do you call him 'Master?'" Billy asked, finally losing interest in the watch.

Amanda picked up where he left off with it, batting and pulling at it as if it were a piece of string, and she a kitten.

"Doesn't he belongs to you?"

"No no no, of course not." His parallel replied. "Rather a disastrous occurrence, really. "Let us talk about it more inside the house. I'll warm up a spot of tea."

Mandy made a disgusted face. This boy of 17 not only talked with a humiliatingly silly accent, but he insisted on acting the English part as well.

Pathetic.

Even the stupid Billy wasn't some little ass-kisser. He had sort of been to her, when she was younger, but had since then learned to be more independent. Mostly through strict and sometimes painful teaching.

"Fine." She managed to spit out.

She'd only agreed because she was just as keen on having the question answered as Billy was. Or had been, at least. Now he was just standing on the edge of the curb, staring at his little pinky and laughing when he wiggled it. Amanda seemed to be doing the same with her thumb.

"C'mon, Billy."

"You too, Amanda."

They perked up their heads, giggling like maniacs.

"Look what we found!" Billy screamed triumphantly.

"It was floating." Amanda added. She grinned and followed behind the others. "Wanna see it?"

The object she produced from behind her back glittered, despite the low brightness of the indoors. The top of the item was triangular in shape, as was the bottom. A white skull with gleaming red eyes was tattooed across the slender middle.

"An hourglass." Mandy stated in an obvious tone.

The young woman hung at the back of the group as the others disappeared inside the doorway. Something didn't seem right about this Endsville. It was too quiet. Too deserted-looking as well. The oddly shaped houses and buildings showed no signs of life, or so much as a light.

The front yards and lawns were the same as well. Usually, there were at least a few people wandering around, doing their daily routines, but there was nothing at all. She squinted her eyes and looked into the distance, at a large metal gate.

"ELLIVSTRATS." She read the backwards letters. "Startsville." The blonde scoffed at the name. "Lame." She muttered, and stepped inside the house.

The four mortals had seated themselves down on the couch in front of the television screen, and almost didn't notice the static begin to sound from inside of the machine. A skull, robed in a pitch-black cloak appeared on the screen.

"Is dis stupid ting on?" It growled, looking down at something off-screen. "Ah, yes. Dere we go."

"Grim."

"Master Grim?"

"Huh?"

"Grim!"

Billy jumped up from his spot and began licking the T.V screen in delight.

"You were trapped inside the screen all along!" He squealed in happiness. "Funny, though. You tastes all glassy." His short attention span quickly led him to another topic. "Let's smash this thing and get you out. I gots some al-ger-braw I don't understand back at home." He stuck his thumb over his shoulder.

"Ah, 'ere we go." Grim cleared his throat, and looked up again. "Now, children. I'm assuming dat right now Billy's probably licking the T.V 'cause he tinks it's me, or someting stupid like dat." He frowned for a moment, as if waiting for something.

"Hey! That ain't Grim!"

"By now he's probably realized it's not really me. Dis is a tape recording."

"I was right!"

"Anyways, I regret to say I probably can't talk to you. At least, for da moment. Being held hostage ain't easy, ya know. I left an hourglass, though. I don't know exactly where it'll turn up, as I didn't have much time to think about what I was doin'." His skull face twisted in what the others could only guess was anxiety.

"Heed dis warning: You need to help me before dat hourglass runs out. The supernatural strands of time will wither and fall apart at da seams if death is not around to take its toll. Every soul dat is meant to go down to de Underworld will not be able to, and de result will be apocalyptic. The very fabric of existence depends on helping me get outta dis place."

Suddenly, a pair of grotesque, puffy lips appeared in the corner of the screen, laced with teeth as sharp as daggers, each covered in drool. They were purple in color, and covered in hideous warts.

"Oh, no! Dis is de last bit of help I can give you two for de moment. I may be able to send you some other necessary equipment, but for now you must keep careful watch on dat hourglass."

The lips got closer to the camera, or whatever object Grim was using to tape his message.

"Use teamwork!" The Reaper shouted, before one fleshless finger flicked a button off-screen, and the screen went wild with static.

"Woah." Billy gaped, clutching a popcorn bag near his mouth. He stuffed some of the salty snacks in his mouth and laughed. "Play it again!"

"Quite…peculiar." William muttered, and lifted a cup of tea to his lips. "I do say, we really must be seeing Master Grim now. The fellow on the television really did look a lot like him."

Mandy grasped the seat of the couch and dug her nails in. She hadn't asked to be placed in such a demanding situation, and she was not at all pleased about it. And this guy's English-'ness' was not making things any easier.

"You have exactly five seconds to quit speaking like that or I swear, your head will hurt so much you won't have the strength to cry." She threatened, and grabbed him by his collar.

William grinned devilishly.

"I say, are you coming onto me?"

The reply startled the blonde so much that, for a moment, she forgot to punch his teeth out. It was just enough time for Billy to step in.

"Hey, hey heeey!" He rambled, and pulled the two apart from one another. Shaking a fist at the English muffin, he stood right in front of him, blocking his view of Mandy.

"Mandy is MY friend, not yours. You can't have her." The redhead crossed his arms across his chest and turned up his big pink nose, closing his eyes as he did so.

"Billy, I'm not a thing. I don't belong to you." Mandy said calmly. "But for once, I agree with you about something. This guy really is your opposite, isn't he? Annoying, yes, but in the kind of way I can't tolerate."

"There we go, dame, let us sort matters peacefully and with words." William said from his seat of the couch.

"Words take far too long to say. Actions are quick and so much simpler." The blonde replied.

With that, she swiftly thrust her elbow into the pompous fool's face.


	6. Meeting the Parallel Grim Reaper

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. They've never been mine, and they never will be. Unless Maxwell Atoms says so, because he owns them.

AN: Sorry there obsessed4life, I haven't had the pleasure of seeing 5 o'clock shadows yet. Soon, my friend. Verrrry soon.

Phew, thank goodness you all seemed to enjoy the parallels. I was worried they wouldn't be parallel-y enough, and that they would sound stupid instead of funny. I also exceeded my usual word count, eh, so this chapter's gonna be a little longer than usual. And lastly, thanks again for all the comments. Makes me wanna keep on truckin'. ;)

**Chapter 6**

"Heeheehee! William got his nose smashed in!" Amanda laughed at her friend's plight as Mandy rubbed her elbow.

"If you don't stay quiet the same will happen to you."

"But I ain't got no nose."

"There are other parts of your face to pulverize."

That statement was made, and the idiotic blonde fell silent. After a few moments of staring at Mandy's fierce glare, she finally got the message as to what she should do.

"Uuuh…Let's get you to Master Grim."

Keeping her eyes on her counterpart, Amanda began tugging on William's arm. He groaned in pain, shielding his face in his hands as though a single touch would break it.

"Yes, let's." He agreed groggily.

All four humans slid off of the beaten up couch, one oblivious, two scared, and one terrifyingly pissed off.

"Come along, then. Mustn't keep him waiting. He's got the most frightful attitude problem if people are late."

"But how goes he know we're coming?" Billy asked.

"He just knows these things. Please, on the queen's name don't ask my why. I haven't the foggiest."

William and Amanda led the way through the house, passing through corridors and doorways that seemed to wind in circles. Why they were made that way, the other two could not possibly guess. At last, they stopped in front of a single stairway leading up, into the attic.

"Cool! In our house Grim's stuff is in the basement, but here it's in the upstairs 'cause everything's backwards. I gets it!" Billy remarked. He tapped his head a few times, creating a rather hollow sound from within.

"Very good, Billy." Mandy congratulated wearily.

"Up we go, then." William stood by the bottom of the stairs and bowed. "Ladies first."

He smiled nervously, revealing a bloody tooth and purple lip. The blonde did not return his courtesy, but rather frowned until her eyes were nothing but slits. Gripping the railway tightly, she took one careful step upwards, then another. Although the ground beneath her shook and rattled with each movement, it proved to be stable enough, and her suspicions were put to ease. Billy followed immediately after her, sweating a bit at the sudden change of mood. Mandy really looked displeased about the whole mess they were in.

"Hey, clone-of-William thingie." Amanda whispered from a few stairs back. "I think you're gonna hate Master Grim. He's a real meanie."

The redhead swallowed uneasily. The winding path he was to follow up suddenly seemed frightening, and dark. Who knew what could be lurking around in the attic? If not for his friend reassuringly in front of him, the idiot would have wet his pants right there and then.

"My name is Billy." Was all he whispered back to her.

"That's a weird name." The dumb blonde said, scratching her ear. "Say, have you ever danced with a tuna before?"

"Well, I tried once, but before we could really get our groove on he slipped outta my hands and landed in my-" He started to answer, before being cut off.

"We're here." William called out from behind them all.

The group had stopped in front of a large wooden door, which, as far as the newcomers were concerned, was rather plain looking. Although it looked old and smelled musty, there was nothing out of the ordinary about it. What was behind it was a different story.

"Mandy, I don't like this very much." Billy said, sneaking up behind his blonde friend. "This room gives me the bleeps."

"You mean the creeps."

"They give you the creeps too?"

Mandy raised an eyebrow at the dummy. He dared assume that she, Mandy, felt fear? It was a frightening setting, yes, but fear? No, of course not. The only time she ever felt afraid was when…

"Billy's in trouble." She mumbled in realization.

His safety was the only thing she ever really got worried about. Could he be called a weakness? That would be a straightforward way of putting it, if Mandy had wanted things to be straightforward. But she instead found a way of thinking around her own thoughts, to justify her actions.

"Wouldn't want to lose my company. He's there when I need things to be done."

She shook her head, and the discussion with herself was over. She answered his question instead by gripping his hand so hard that the knuckles cracked.

"It was-ow-onlys a question!"

"Master Grim! We beseech thee!" William called out suddenly. "There are visitors who humbly implore your wisdom and powers!" He and Amanda kneeled over as if they were going to be sick, their noses almost touching the ground. They made themselves as small as possible in respect for their master.

"Ah! Too…many…big…words…" Billy whined, clutching his head in both hands. "Not…understanding… And spiders are making cobwebs on my butt."

He looked over his shoulder at two little arachnids crawling on the seat of his pants and yelped, destroying the entire eerie mood.

It was regained, however, when the door flew open, and a chilling grey mist seeped out. Although the inside of the room was dark, and the source was unseen, Mandy still had a bad feeling about what resided within. Gut instinct, she supposed.

"Your servants shall serve, and serve only you!" Amanda cried. "We'll do all your stuff for you, and, uh, stuff!"

William shook his head from the floor. Amanda was, apparently, the idiot equivalent of Billy.

"Veryyyyy goooood." A voice slithered from the room. "The visitors may come in."

Without anyone touching them, Billy and Mandy were both flung inside. The air around them seemed to hoist them up, off of the ground all on its own, like a fierce wind blowing. They flipped in the air only once before roughly landing on their stomachs, scratching their elbows and bruising their ribs. The unexpected landing knocked the breath out of both, and they began to cough and hack vigorously. As darkness still plagued them, and neither could see a thing once their fit was over.

"Show us who's here." The blonde boldly demanded from the floor.

"I'm blind!" The idiot wailed.

"Billy, quiet!" She snapped, and he was silenced. Her recent thoughts and questions about him were leaving her in a very intolerable mood towards the redhead.

A light was flicked on by Amanda, and both stopped breathing for a moment; what was seated before them was like nothing they had ever seen before. The room grew dim again, before the full impact of what they had seen sunk in. The light was turned on, and it once again made their eyes grow wide in awe. Then the light flicked off again. Then on. Then off. Then on. Then off.

"Heeheehee." A giggle sounded.

"Really Amanda, leave the bloody thing alone." William said angrily, nudging his companion in the dark. "Turn it on."

"Yes, William." The girl said, clearly annoyed. Light once again filled the room.

A tougher, scarier version of Grim sat on a regal looking throne, staring at them with soulless hollow eyes. His face, though very similar to their friend's, shared none of the warmth or compassion. The skull face was dark grey in color, peeling and rough in some places, and smoother in others. A set of black teeth jutted out unevenly around his mouth, creating a monstrous look, while turned upwards in a crooked smile. The black robed it was clothed in looked like it had been hand-crafted by Satin himself, and one could not possibly begin to describe the intense evil that emanated from within it. It flowed with hellish grace towards the floor, where it covered the rest of the skeleton.

The teens' eyes moved from each horrid detail to the next, absorbing the very essence of the Underworld itself. The thing that caught their attention most was the chair in which he sat: painted red and black, with curves and waves of patterns covering its surface. Flames seemed to lick and crawl up the legs, stretching onto the very walls of the room.

"What is your business?!" Parallel Grim bellowed, sending shock waves of fear up three of four spines. Although he hadn't asked in a demanding tone, the power in his voice was enough alone to get others' attention.

"Our only business here is for you to give us what we want." Mandy replied, rising from her belly.

"After that, we will leave." Her knees shook for a moment before she stood tall, as they were hurt from the harshness of her landing. As soon as she was over it, though, her arms crossed and her usual frown returned.

"I suggest you give it to us."

"HAHA!" Master Grim roared from his throne. "You, a mortal, are foolish enough to give ME orders?!"

He stretched out one bony arm, and a large scythe materialized in his clawed hand. "I found it rather amusing for you to drop in like this, but I will not be merciful to those who annoy me. The might of the Underworld belongs to me!"

He threw back his head and chuckled, expecting to see the girl cower in fear. But the mockery didn't seem to frazzle her in the least. She simply reached down, plucked Billy by the scruff of his neck, and stood him on his wobbling feet.

"I see you're not the sniveling coward our Grim was. At least you have courage enough to face me. Ours sure didn't."

"Ya! How comes we don't get the 'good' Grim?" Billy pouted.

"Afraid to face you?" The parallel mocked. "Do you not understand that I have infinite powers of the Underworld?!"

"We've dealt with the 'power of the Underworld' mumbo jumbo where we come from. We owned it."

"It is different here!"

"Is it really? We're more intertwined than you might realize. Tell me, why do these fools call you 'Master'? How did you come to own them?"

"I am inclined to tell you nothing, worthless human."

"You see this?" The blonde asked, walking over to the other side of the room. "This,"-she snatched the hourglass away from William-

"I say!"

-"This is the amount of time we have left until Death leaves our world. And if that happens, your universe will also succumb to mayhem."

Literally looking Death in the eye, she stuck the timer in front of Master Grim's face.

"Now, tell us how you came into possession of the twits."

The skeleton examined the hourglass for a moment, clearly not believing what he heard. However, once his eyes rested on the skull tattoo on its middle, he uttered a short gasp and nodded.

"Very well." He hissed. "These humans were only 10 when they tried to challenge me. All for a worthless pet frog whose time was up."

"I looooved Mr. Froggymacroakeribbit!" Amanda sobbed from the doorway.

"They faced me in a game of tic-tac-toe. Chosen, of course, by the idiotic blonde."

Amanda waved.

"Needless to say, I beat them with ease. I am the master of tic-tac-toe. No mere mortal could ever defeat me!" He laughed. "My prize was their eternal slavery and companionship, along with that of their friends'. Again, I am sure by now you could tell which one of the two set the stakes. All for a little frog."

"Their friends' slavery?" Mandy questioned further.

"Yes. The entire town, actually. Mothers, fathers, friends, foes, fat, skinny, Voltaire. All of them are mine to own. They are not mortal anymore, for I granted them supernatural powers, seeing as how they cannot use them to do anything besides my bidding. They may not be worth much, but it is such fun to watch them carry out my wishes in dismay. Observe!"

He called forth-

"Irwin, Hoss, Spurg, Mindy!"

He snapped his fingers and in a poof of smoke they appeared.

Irwin bared his teeth and flexed abnormally large muscles, Hoss quivered, Spurg adjusted a pair of nerdy looking glasses, and Mindy…she just stood and looked ugly. Acne, moles, and facial hair covered her face.

"You!" He pointed at Irwin. "Conjure up a portal!"

"Yes, SIR!" He obeyed, foaming at the mouth in enthusiasm. A wiggle of his fingers, and the glitch in space formed. Once he was finished, the now tough-looking young man out on a hard salute.

"You!" He jabbed a finger at Spurg. "Prepare a meal."

"Yes, sir." He replied in a whiny little voice.

He raised his arms above his head, and a table draped with an ebony cloth appeared. On it were pies, fowl, and roasts that smelled good enough to eat when one was not hungry.

"Now, as for you." Grim turned back to face Billy and Mandy. "You two will serve well as my slaves. You girl, have the malice inside of you that could truly be of use to me, and you boy are so stupid that you would obey me willingly!"

"Hey!" Billy quirked, and stopped trying to chew on his arm. "Who tolds you I was stupid? Was it my dad? He's wrong I tell you! Wrong!"

"I can save this universe myself once I obtain the hourglass. I have power enough to keep this one from falling apart at least-I don't care about the others. Minions!" He shouted. "GET THEM!"

Six slaves, including William and Amanda, rushed at the girl and boy.

"Your offer is tempting, but unaccepted." Mandy said in monotone. "Frankly, you all bore me. Billy, close your eyes."

She then grabbed his arm firmly, and ran straight into a half dozen supernatural humans.

Her feet pounded across the grey floorboards, nearing the line of flesh. Much to the surprise of the others, the blonde turned at the last possible moment, towards the glowing portal that had been left open. Billy, whose eyes were still closed, kicked his feet out blindly, hitting Hoss in the crotch and thrashing him out of the way. His friend punched Irwin squarely in the chin, knocking out a few teeth, and the last obstacle remaining. With a final burst of speed she leaped into the gateway along with her friend as four parallels swiped at their bodies. By then, they had disappeared.

"Dammit!" Grim cursed. "Worthless humans!"

"Wahahaaaaa!" Amanda reached towards the portal as if willing them to come back out. "Billy! I loved you!"

William faced her, his face a mix of disgust and jealousy.

"How the Devil did you love Billy?" He sneered.

"Who's Billy?" She giggled, and began picking her nose.


	7. Almost Separated in the Land of Things

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. They've never been mine, and they never will be. Unless Maxwell Atoms says so, because he owns them.

AN: Soon, **frogman**. I'm really quite interested in seeing that episode now, what with the way you guys rant about it.

No problem-o, **Obssessed4Life**. One good turn most definitely deserves another. And yes, that's me on Youtube. Saw me reply on a Billy and Mandy video, did you?

And **EndsVille**, I was referring to the Voltaire in 'BRAINS!' I dunno, I guess it was impulse that drove me to say that, when I learned it was he who had guest starred as the meteorite. I just wanted to see who would catch that little Easter Egg, you might call it.

To let you know, this chapter is a) Very Weird b) Possibly a little more like the show c) Rather shippy. Yep, I've included thoughts up till now, so I decided now would be as good a time as ever to go for something a bit more physical. :D

Now, I'll shut up and get on with chapter 7!

**Chapter 7**

The two friends again found themselves rushing forward through space and time, out into the unknown. They weren't even sure if the portal they had jumped into led to anyplace at all. Vibrant colors and worlds flashed before their eyes as they watched each universe go by, whizzing past until the sensation slowed down.

As if picking a universe at random, the blonde and redhead came to a full stop in front of one particular void, and prepared themselves for the suction that was sure to follow. One was pulled inwards, grinning widely as it happened, while the other was left rather behind.

"Look! TREES!" Billy shouted as he was spit out onto a grassy, woodsy area.

Indeed, the entire landscape seemed to be covered with foliage and shrubbery of every shape and size, every texture and color. Greens sprouted all around the young man's face, brushing against his red cheeks and tickling his chin.

The joyful idiot bounced around wildly, sniffing every flower and bush he came across, greeting every stump in his sight, and calling out to the leaves that he could not hope to reach. The aroma that came from each was more tantalizing than anything he had ever smelled at home, even his mother's old discarded perfumes. He would have been in pure bliss if he hadn't realized one key factor.

"Mandy! Did you see that apple wave at me?" He clucked, and turned around to face her.

But she was not there.

"Hey. Where's Mandy at?"

He turned around on his heel and stared at the portal located in the midst of foliage. She should have come out a long time ago. A frightening thought crossed his tiny brain-what if she had gotten separated from him, or lost? Billy considered jumping back into the void, but decided against it. Careful reasoning slapped at his thoughts, telling him that if he were to go back she might pop out afterwards. Then he would have even less chance of finding her.

He made a face at it, and stuck out his tongue. It didn't reply. He asked it nicely that it spit her out. No answer. The idiot scowled at it, baring his unbrushed teeth. Nothing.

By then the teen's face was red with frustration, and his fists were brought to up to fight.

"Gimme back Mandy!" He raged, throwing punches that went right through the rip. "Ya stupid inter-connecting universe traveling thing! I wants my money back for this stupid ride!"

The redhead clawed a few more times before falling to his knees. He gasped a bit, worn out from having been so violent towards the portal, and let his tongue hang from his mouth.

"I just want her back…" He snorted loudly and wiped away some snot dangling from his pink nose.

The forest no longer seemed joyful, and merry. Now it meant nothing at all.

"Hey, you having a bit of trouble there?" A high pitched, nasal voice called out.

Billy looked over in surprise to see a large, yellow beaver sitting on a log behind him. It was dressed in informal attire, wearing only a little red shirt and collar, and seemed to be holding a pot of something in its paws.

"Y-Ya." He sniffled again. "My friend isn't coming out of there. I dunno how to gets her back!"

The beaver-like creature's eyes widened at the mention of his friend.

"There's-ahem-_more_ of you somewhere?"

The creature licked its lips and rubbed its hands together in glee.

"Yep."

An evil smirk crossed the hairy face.

"Well, I can help you get your girlfriend out of there for you if you want."

Billy simply tilted his head in confusion.

"Mandy's not my girlfriend. She'd call out the hounds if I said that to her. And them hounds, they gots teeth the size of books! I mean, I like her and all, but ehhh…"

He struggled to find words to describe how he felt towards her.

"I dunno. There's just so much feeling things inside of my tummy, it makes me hard to say what I mean. I…I don't know what she is to me."

The red-shirted animal leaped down from his perch atop the log, and waddled over to the crouched boy. It pulled something gooey and yellow out of the pot it was holding, ate it, and sat down beside the redhead.

"Whatever. Just leave it to me and she'll be safe and sound."

Billy bit his bottom lip for a moment before suddenly looking shocked, as if just having an epiphany.

"My mom told me never to talk to strangers, though, so forget I said any of that you crazy koala! And that. And that and that and that and that…"

He was waving his fingers to the rhythm of his annoying phrase, much to the displeasure of the beaver.

"Shut up!" It cried, throwing its clawed hands into the air. "I can help you, so there's no need to fear me. And I'm a beaver, not a koala. Hoop's my name."

The redhead brushed off his soil-covered hands and scratched the back of his head.

"Eeer, Ok. Hey, you remind me of something I don't like."

Hoop forced a smile and sweat a bit.

"I'm not evil! Who said I was? What do I remind you of? It's not bad! My name backwards is not a famous name! Why do you want to know what I feast on?!"

He jabbered nervously until being cut off.

"No no no. You reminds me of some yellow bear with his malformed stuffed animal friends and that little boy whose name sounds like a biiiiird. Christinfor Roybin, or something. Didn't that bear wear a red shirt too? And no pants! Haha! Not even a pair of boxers!"

He laughed until remembering the seriousness of his predicament.

"How do I gets Mandy?"

Meanwhile…

"I swear, if I ever see him again he'll be losing so many teeth he'll be able to buy a station wagon with all the money the tooth fairy gives him." Mandy grumbled irrationally.

She had seen Billy get pulled into the suction of that universe, seen him leave from her sight while she stayed back. Why she didn't follow through with him remained unclear, but what she **did** know was that she was stuck floating between openings and entrances, unable to reach any of them. One could say she was floating on pure nothingness.

"Nothing to do…"

For the first few hours of her plight, the blonde had entertained herself by talking aloud, dictating prepared speeches of fury, and scowling, hoping for a chance to pop out somewhere. None of the gateways opened, though, and searching for the only open one (which Billy had come out of) had proved futile. There were just too many to go hunting for one in particular.

After reminiscing on some of the books about Hitler's evil ways for several hours, she had finally broken down and given up. How fast did time pass between worlds, anyways? To Mandy it seemed as though she'd been lodged between universes for at least a few days now, but what time would it be elsewhere? Only hours? Weeks? Months? Was there even an Earth anymore? And Billy…had he somehow gotten out, aged, died? Trapped?...

Her thoughts once again turned towards the redhead, as they had for the past while.

'Wish something would hurry up and happen- can't believe I'm thinking this, but I, dare I say it, _miss _him ever so slightly?..'

Her hand rose up to her face and quickly slapped it. Such delusions and fantasies would not be allowed to reign over her usually calm and collected mind. She was bored, that was all. She was only thinking about him because if her mind was not kept thinking she would soon go insane.

'I'm going to give him such a speech when I get back." Mandy caught herself in her thoughts. 'Wait, speech? If it were anyone else, I'd give them a beating like no other. But him, I always let go with a freebie, no matter what stupid thing he does. No matter what ludicrous position he gets himself into, I always end up saving him. Why? Why do I even bother to get back to the dolt? So many questions I don't want to think about.'

She pouted and massaged her head. She wouldn't bring up the topic anymore, for, no matter how hard she tried, she could not think of an answer. Grim had told her to leave Billy behind countless times before, but she had never listened to him, always making up an excuse of somesort to get him back. WHY? That didn't fit her character at all.

The blonde kept her mind shut down and inaccessible for a few moments, ready to drift into yet another dreamless sleep, as she had for days. Sleep was the only comfort she had, what with her relentless thoughts bombarding her and boredom slowly taking its toll. Yes, sleep would be nice…

"MAAAAANDYYYYYYYYYY!!!"

A loud scream reverberated throughout the void of space, snapping the girl out of her unconsciousness. She scowled for a moment, before realizing what it meant.

"Billy?"

"OVER HERES! WHERE IS YOU?!"

Billy shouted yet again through the portal, praying that there would soon be a reply. Only the upper half of his body stuck through into the time and space continuum, while the lower part remained in the world, which he had dubbed 'The Land of Things.' Hoop had agreed to hold onto his feet while he searched for his friend in return for only a small favor. The animal hadn't told the redhead exactly what it would be, but he didn't care. Just as long as he got Mandy back, he would do just about anything.

"Oh bother, you're heavy!" The furry critter complained as his grip momentarily weakened. "What do you eat, rocks?"

"Only on Sundays." Billy replied over his shoulder. "Ooh, I think I see her!"

"Delicious."

"Whatja just say, hmmm?"

"I said, excellent!" And smiled down at his stomach.

The blonde swam, ran, whatever you choose to call it though the interstellar space, all the while wearing a very displeased look on her face. Inside she as glad that Billy had found her, but no one else was allowed to know that. Looking from portal to portal, she saw nothing, and no trace of her friend. Until, quite suddenly, she caught a glimpse of a large pink nose protruding from one of the entryways.

"Over here!"

"Shut up, I'm coming."

The idiot's eyes practically popped out of their sockets, he was grinning so widely.

"Billy, get out of the way. I'm going to get sucked in."

The idiot just continued to smile broadly as she approached him.

"It's Ok, Mandy, I gotcha!" He said, and stretched his arms out as far as they would go.

"No, you peon, move!"

From inside The Land of Things, Hoop carefully edged himself away from the boy's pants leg. He didn't want to get in the way if someone was about to fall out of the rip.

"Mand-Huhh!" Billy looked surprised for a moment before the blonde collided with him, shutting him up and knocking him over.

Once she was against him, he awkwardly wrapped his arms around her and held on tightly, as the suction that followed would be forceful. The rush was indeed so powerful that it pushed him and her back out onto the grassy field, a startled look on both of their faces. (Although, it was far more evident on one.) By now Mandy was also clinging onto Billy's shirt in an effort not to be let go. She needn't have worried, though, as he was sure not to.

Their eyes clenched shut, the duo flew back out onto the grassy forest. The redhead landed on his back in the dirt with his friend on his chest, and flipped head over heels due to the force.

They were a tangle of legs and arms as they rolled a short ways before finally coming to a stop in front of Hoop.

"Oooh. This is getting good." He smirked. (AN: Dirty Me! D

A cool breeze blew through the air, shaking the trees' leaves and cooling warm skin.

Each opened their eyes at the same time, revealing just how close to one another they truly were. Their faces were only inches apart, and the position they were in was a bit less than comfortable.

"Mandy. Sorry…" Billy muttered before turning a shade of deep crimson.

Much to his surprise, she did not hit or kick him, even though he was in such a vulnerable state. She instead looked away, concealing her face and emotions, and picked herself up off of her friend.

"Save it. I don't need petty apologies." She said in a quivering tone. "Where are we?"

Billy gawked for a moment more, not believing that she wasn't going to brutally mutilate him for 'catching' her.

"You're not going to mash me to a pulp like when I tried to lick you?"

"Would you like me to?" She snapped.

He shook his head and cringed. He most certainly did not want things to get violent.

"Heh. Cute."

Hoop stood beside them both, a pleased look on his face.

"Right-o then, boy. You owe me a favor, now don't you?"

From beneath the red shirt, his stomach growled ominously.

"Uh-huh." Billy agreed, and picked up his red hat from where it had fallen during the tumble.

He then got up and standing next to Mandy, who was already not liking this creature. Something about the critter, something she could quite put her finger on, didn't feel right.

"Billy, who is this?"

The boy bent over and pulled a ticklish blade of grass from inside his sock before answering.

"This is Hoop. He helpered me find you and save you from the inside of that inbetween thing. I promised to do a little something for him in return, but I don't know what."

The beaver stretched out his arms and legs, cracked his knuckles and flexed his neck before turning in a circle.

"You see all of this? These plants and flowers, trees and grass? This entire forest, including some of my comrades, are in a desperate situation right now. We're starving."

Billy reached in his ear and pulled out a fly.

"We need a specific source of food, you know. The shrubbery here doesn't just eat dirt, and I don't just eat honey. You can help us get what we need."

The blonde took a step back. She understood what he was getting at.

"We need……..Human FLESH!"

In an eerily disgusting transformation, Hoop went form being a cute, cuddly beaver to a deformed, hideous brute. His fangs lengthened, ears flattened, muscles bulged, and little red shirt ripped straight down the middle. He pulled what remaining shreds clung to his fur, and roared.

"**Now, we feast!**"

As suddenly as the beaver became a monster, the woods lost its childish appearance. The trees were no longer so jolly looking, the shrubs failed to bear plump berries, and the flowers wilted and grew crisp. Each plant, including the grass, grew a sharp set of teeth.

"Aw, Mandy. You should've seen this place when it was all prettiful. Now look and see what pollution's gone and one to all them nice flowers!"

"**Block the portal!" **

Vines whipped from beneath the earth, winding and twisting to form a cage around the exit. Seeing that their only escape was gone, Billy and Mandy pressed up against each others backs as the garden of evil closed in around them.

"I wish we was veggie-tarians!"


	8. Woes of Yore and Twin Demons

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. They've never been mine, and they never will be. Unless Maxwell Atoms says so, because he owns them.

**AN: frogman, **shippy sort of means romantic fluffyness. Yep, I suck at definitions.

Ok, chapter 8 has a lot of flashbackiness and weird Roman names I found off wikipedia. I chose them for the sole reason that they sounded 'cool.' Shoot me. One word in particular, Jutanio, will probably sound really crappy. It comes from the Chinese name "jiu tou niao" which is the name of a nine-headed mythical bird demon. Why? You'll understand once you read. I just smushed all three words into one.

On with chapter 8! -KKBS

**Chapter 8**

"It's really all your fault, Grim." The voice slithered from the opposite side of the impenetrable wall.

"I know dat, mon. You don't hafta keep reminding me." The Reaper, bringer of Death and feared by all mortals, was being held hostage on his home ground-the Underworld.

The whole mess had really started centuries ago; when the skeleton was not as an experienced reaper as he was today. There had always been one supernatural creature that had stood out during school-always playing with flowers, being kind, and not indulging in typical childish fighting. Grim remembered her well as 'Little Miss Helpful,' a rather cheesy name given to her by him and his peers for her lust for peace and harmony. She was the object of humiliation, no matter how hard she tried to make friends with everyone else.

The Reaper recalled standing by the lockers and watching her breathe gently onto a wilted flower, bringing it back into the world, alive once more. That was, before a mob of kids came to bully her. It was usually led by him, as he was one of worst of the bunch of bullies. He hadn't even stopped once the assaults had become physical, which his buddies usually in with, laughing and spitting ruthlessly. Nobody could stand the bringer of life, but no one had truly given her a chance, an opportunity to prove that her intentions were whole heartedly good. For years her life had become one endless ritual of waking up, going to school, and being beaten. For no real purpose at all.

She had, eventually, gone on to become Goddess of Life, and her reputation was no longer one that was made fun of. And she had never forgiven him for what he had done and said out of spite.

"I'm almost sorry I had to do this…I, you…hurt me all those years ago. And now, you'll pay for that pain."

Here he was now, trapped within the walls of Life. They were boundaries he could not pass through, as he was Death, and the two elements simply could not come into contact with each other without disastrous side affects. It was much like black and white could not combine without forming a mottled gray. Flames erupted from either side of his shadowy prison, serving as a warning. If he dared touch the walls, he would suffer from an immortal death as the two states of being clashed with each other.

"You have a twisted mind, Persephone. Don't ya understand that in doing this you will be eradicating all death, and derefore life as well? The universe will collapse onto itself, mark my words. Please, we can resolve past matters with talking, not fighting. And for what? Bullying in school?"

She stepped from the shadows, revealing her glorious self. Her complexion was smooth and fair, without a single wrinkle or blemish marking it up. Long brown hair seemed to flow elegantly behind her with each step she took closer, bobbing up and down on her robe-covered back. The outfit she wore could be compared to those of Roman gods, and was made of but a single shirt, skirt and sash, each marked with an emblem. They draped to the floor, hiding her shoeless feet and slender legs. Although her beauty was astounding, it could not make up for the look upon her face.

"Just school incidents? You all knew I was nearly mortal then, that the pain you caused me went down deeper than any I could possibly inflict on you. What was the point, anyways? I wanted to be kind, to be one with you. But no. I see now the error of my ways, and if the universe must suffer for it, so it will be."

Her perfect voice cracked several times during her speech, and round eyes glistened brightly. She looked ready to cry.

"I will eliminate Death to make way for Life. Your job will be completely useless, and therefore so will you. You will be trapped within your eternal suffering, experiencing the same hurt I did when you decided it was wrong for me to exist." Her face scrunched up in distraught, before returning to normal.

"Why must I repeat myself for you, anyways? You, Grim, and all others who abused me will be locked in that state forever-then you'll have nothing to say!" At this she broke down, sobbing into her arm and clenching and unclenching her remaining fist.

"For once, I will be ruthless. I will be unforgiving. This is my payback."

"You're crazy! You've gotten your priorities completely outta whack!"

Persephone's face lifted from her soft flesh, red with tears and now, anger.

"No. You are wrong."

The goddess shot one hand into the air, pulling into it the scythe she had stolen. Its bladed tip gleamed and shone with a brightness it had never had before, as did the black staff. It was intended for the Reaper, not her. And it showed.

"Give me back Jody!"

"Shut. Up."

A beam of static electricity shot from the tip, cackling and fizzing through the air and force field before sinking into Grim's bony chest. His body convulsed wildly for a moment before falling limp to the ground.

"I hated to do that. Really, I did. With the power in this scythe combined with that of which I've been storing for all of these long years, I will be able to achieve what was once thought impossible. Eternal, ever-lasting life for all living things in every planet, of every universe. Those kids you sent the messages to won't be able to help. They're humans…they can't. Even if they are so young, and precious...Arrgghh! I DON'T…understand…am I wrong?"

Her face underwent another spasm, turning from sad, to agony, to anger, to worry. She put two fingers to her quivering lip and blew softly. There was no noise, but it called on something nonetheless. Grim lifted his head shakily just in time to see what.

A huge monster hulked into the dark chamber, drooling a bit and breathing heavily. It's purple lips were those that had been caught on film for several moments, before the skeleton had had to shut his diabolic camera off. Its body resembled that of a super-sized frog's, bent over at an eerily low angle. Spines sloped down its slippery back, stretching down towards twin pairs of grimy legs and webbed feet.

"Sherbert, call on Broxas and Decarabia, would you dear? Good boy. I need to get those children out of the way. And since Death still exists, for now, tell them to...to kill. No mercy."

The beast nodded its ugly head and bounded off, ready to summon the two demon birds.

"I still have a job, you know. I must bring life to others. And you will wait here."

Persephone edged herself towards an open door, glancing back slightly as she did so. The goddess sighed. She didn't truly know the right thing to do then.

"Please, don't! They're mortals, babies, really! Dat's not fair! I sent dem, dey don't really know what they're doin'! Please, I-"

She walked away, leaving him to scream in a futile attempt to stop her.

Sherbert made his way through the maze of hallways and portals of his master's castle, with haste. He was treated like a pet, but on the inside he knew exactly what was going on. The frog-like creature also understood that Persephone was waging a mental battle with herself between good and evil, and was not fully confident of the correct answer. Her mind had become so corrupted as of late…

The beast stopped hopping and sat on his haunches in front of a large metal door, laden with iron bars and steel pipes. It had to be strong to contain what was within.

"Llllet ussss out!" A horse voice hissed at him from behind the door. "Weee know what isss needed of ussss!"

The barred entrance began to shake crazily, sending waves of vibrations coursing through the very floor. Loud shrieking sounded form behind it, followed by a loud battering.

"The Lady needs you to find the two humans quickly." The frog croaked. "Target onto them, and do it swiftly. Mistress would rather you do not make them suffer. They are not at fault."

"Weee KNOOOOW!"

A different voice erupted from the room, in such demanding force that Sherbert feared for his very life. Those demon birds, Jutanios they were called, had never been easy-going or patient, and he knew not to get them upset.

"Go, then. Good speed."

The toad undid a large latch at the side of the door, fumbling slightly with his webbed fingers. After a few moments of silent struggle, the metal barrier swung open, and twin pairs of wings seemingly exploded past him.

Their feathered wings were as black as night, and stretched out to an incredible length. Each had a wingspan that had to be at least 50 feet. Pointed fingers trailed past the tips, armored with spear-like claws used to grip any living thing within their reach, much like a bat's. Traveling down the wings, Sherbert eyed the monsters' heads and torsos. They looked more like a birds', although the mouth was lined with sharp teeth, all of which were tinted an unnatural green. Horns sprouted out the back of the head, creating an even fiercer look.

There were no arms to the beasts, but incredibly long legs that ended with monstrously huge talons, which looked as though they could strangle the very essence of God. Lastly, a long spiked tail extended from their abdomens, increasing their size by almost twice as much. The only separation between the two demons were the horrible eyes; one had an irises colored a murky red, while the others' shone a brilliant blue. An evil aura surrounded both Jutanios, which radiated with the very essence of evil.

Sherbert wondered how such diabolic creatures had found their way into the Mistress' hands.

"Hehhh, weeee're off, then." Broxas, the one with red eyes growled.

"The humanssss won't even realize they're dead until they can smellll the very stench of Hell's rotting corpsesss!" Decarabia added.

A dark swirl of supernatural power formed around them, temporarily brightening the hallway. It covered each of the bird demons completely, and they flapped easily above it.

"Billy and Mandy are as good asss gone!"

Broxas taunted, giddy with the knowledge that he would soon be able to rip apart human flesh.

He then folded their feathery wings back and dove headfirst into the mass of energy, his partner only seconds behind him. The blackness engulfed their entire bodies, and they disappeared from sight.

"Shame." The toad mumbled from the sidelines.

"M-Mandy, whats're we gonna do?" Billy breathed from beside the blonde. "They'll eat us faster than I can eat a pie!"

She responded only by elbowing him in the back. He gave a slight cry of pain, signaling she had his attention.

"I don't care what you do, cretin, but I'm not going down without a fight. I will not tolerate being frightened by simple plants. If you have any brains at all, you'll agree."

The redhead nodded shakily, and Mandy could feel a wetness trickle down his neck as they pressed against each other.

"Scared?"

"Well, yea, I mean, they eats people…"

"Don't be. It won't help you."

"**Enough nonsense! Get them!**"

Hoop bellowed at the foliage, and it slunk closer to the two teens. The flowers and trees snapped at them, trying to reach their tasty reward of pale skin. Without warning, the vines that had been covering the portal released their hold and whipped towards the cowering boy and frowning lady. Mandy raised her fists in protection, ready to strike the first grimy plant that dared touch her or her friend. She needn't have, as the vines quickly recoiled.

"**What the hell?!**"

The mutant beaver leaped into the air, trying to catch what had materialized above him. His rippling muscles gave him no edge, though, as the birds carelessly dodged his every swipe.

"Usssseless!"

Both swooped over his head, enjoying their game of quick weaving and poetic flight. Although their wings appeared large and quirky, they carried the demons though the air as smoothly as a ship on a tranquil sea.

The jungle of vines and vegetation also tried to grab the Jutanios, but they had as much luck as their ruler did. The trees, with all their branches and leaves could not keep up, and the bushes could not extend themselves out far enough.

"I believe these are oursssss?" Broxas smirked, and dropped down towards the teens.

Their faces were both a painted picture of confusion and shock; were these new things friends or foes?

As they dove like a bullet towards them, though, Mandy made a quick and educated guess: No, they were not.

She had no time to do anything about it, though, as a pair of talons seized her and her comrade, lifting them off the ground. Her fists beat at the claws wildly, but to no avail.

"No need to fight, chiiiild."

Mandy looked up at the red eyes and narrowed her own. They sent a message of pure hatred and disgust, as well as anger for being caught.

'You win for now. But I never lose.'

Broxas chuckled as he read what she had been trying to convey. He quickly dismissed it as weak.

"Aaaaah! Lemme go, stupid turkey!" Billy cried from Decarabia's grasp. "Teeheeehee. I loves turkey legs." He paused for a moment. "But I don't love you! Put me and Mandy down, or I'll get Arnold Shwarzt-o-nilger on yas!"

He too pounded the demon's feet, but still it rose.

"No essscape."

The two flying monsters once again conjured a swirl of evil and disappeared into it, carrying the teenagers along with them.

"**Great!**" The forgotten beaver complained. "**No human flesh for dinner again tonight, huh? Geez. Now I'll have to eat one of you again, instead of tasty meat.**"

He towered above the grass and trees, chest heaving in rage.

"**Who volunteers to go first?**"


	9. A Wounded Idiot and Lopsided World

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. They've never been mine, and they never will be. Unless Maxwell Atoms says so, because he owns them.

**AN: Obsessed4Life:** Eh, sorry bro. Like I said, I just picked the niftiest sounding words I could find and used them. But please, keep writing your one-shot. Don't let my folly prevent you from creating something I know will be beautiful. :D

**Crossoverfiend: **Ah, thank you. Yes, my brain may be a little twisted, but it helps come up with original plots. And yes, what I had envisioned was not all there; I suppose it never will be, completely. But I'll tell what I see in my head as best as I can.

**frogman: **Well, I figured if I gave her blonde hair she'd be too much in description like Eris. Besides, Persephone looked really pretty as a brunette on wikipedia.

**EndsVille: **Aw, get well soon, friend. What exactly caused you to have such a sore?

**crazyflea: **Yay, you're here! Thanks for commenting, pal. Lookin' good on deviantart, there. ;)

Everyone else: Thank you very much for your kind words!

On with chapter 9! -KKBS

**Chapter 9**

Broxas and Decarabia shared a quick glance before diving downwards, their rewards still fighting to get loose. Persephone had asked them to be quick about killing them, to be smooth and accurate without prolonged suffering.

What did she know?

The goddess was weak, they both knew that, and were not about to let her spoil their fun. After all, once the universes were under her complete power, they would be able to glide in and take it all away when she least expected it. The brothers would play the role of her friends until she did all the work for them. The lady would never know, either, that they had secretly made the children suffer by forcing them to watch what they would do to their friends and family. Then they would be ripped apart, ever so slowly…

Mandy glared at the beast as it entered the swirling vortex with her in its clutches. She had no idea what they wanted or who had sent them, but she couldn't stand being so rudely snatched up. Her arm reached towards a pocket near the bottom or her outfit, straining to find the hourglass they had been entrusted with. The blonde's fingers found their target and she closed them around the icy glass.

Peering into the adjoined triangles, she guessed that around one fourth of the sand was gone. It had been roughly a day since they had first obtained it, meaning that they had only 72 hours to get back to Grim before impending doom broke out. Mandy held the hourglass to her tightly as familiar waves of light and color streamed past her.

Billy, on the other hand, was trying desperately not to throw up again as they sailed through. It was a losing battle.

"Huuuuuman, what the hell are you doiiing?!"

"BLEH!"

"AAAARRRRRGGGGGGGGHHH!"

Decarabia tottered in mid-flight, wings thrashing wildly as he tried to shake some of the chunks off of his feet.

"Brother! You're goooing to miss the exit!"

The other Jutanio paid no heed to his partners warning, too focused on the mess covering him to care.

"Get it oooooff!"

Red eyes rolled back in exasperation and sharp teeth gritted as the blue-eyed fiend finally found a solution to the problem.

"Mr. Bird thing, you're gonna drop me if you-"

Decarabia opened his scaly talon and swung his leg around, flinging the boy into the nothingness of space and time. He shot past countless realms and portals before coming to a stop directly between two greenish openings.

"My hat fell off!"

Mandy sighed in relief as he began to doggy paddle back towards his fallen cap. His progress was slow and awkward, but at least he was alright.

"My apologiessss, brother. Bodily fluids are rather disssgustssting."

Decarabia finished cleaning off the puke on his claws, and spread his wings out to their maximum length.

"Gots it! Heyyy, If you let go of me, you got to let go of Mandy too! Let her go, you creeps!"

"Seemsss as though we're dealing with an idiot. Too bad. It would be much more enjoyable if he undersssstood what we are going to do."

"But thisss one does." Broxas looked down upon the frowning girl. "Her mind is especially sharp, for a human. She can watch her friend die firrrrst."

The twins chuckled with glee. They stopped only when the blonde spoke up.

"You won't unless I let you. Which I don't plan on doing."

They paused for a moment, colors still twirling in the background, Billy still trying to paddle back to her. Then they guffawed even louder.

"Unwise of you to laugh at me."

"Ha! And what are you, little child, going to do about it?"

Mandy's face showed no emotions whatsoever; no fear, no anger, no embarrassment from the taunting. It remained so eerily placid that even the Jutanios were confused when they started intently at her face.

"Hmm? What could you posssibly do?"

Decarabia shoved his crooked beak into her face, daring her to answer. His eyes met hers, and he gasped as an eyebrow rose.

"This."

It was degrading, true, but one must do anything in their power to survive. So, the blonde grabbed hold of Broxas' scaly foot, opened her mouth, and bit down with all the force she could muster. Which was a lot.

The demon's body shuddered uncontrollably for a moment and its eyes went wide. No noise gurgled from the throat, but it felt pain. Like having a knife jabbed into your hand, and being so shocked that you can't even make a sound.

Mandy continued to bite until she could taste blood; foul, revolting blood. Her hold loosened only as the Jutanio's did.

"OFF!"

Broxas shook his leg forcefully, much like his brother had, and flung her away. She still grasped the hourglass in her hand as she hurtled through the continuum.

"Mandy! Over here!"

Billy was floating upside down a few meters away, still trying desperately to swim towards her.

"Cursssse them! Never mind the plans, just killll them now!"

The raging birds regained their senses and flapped towards them, their black, feathered bodies growing larger by the minute. They soared far faster than either of the teens could, taking huge flaps that moved them quickly through the air.

She could swim into the portal beside her, and be home free. Or she could risk her life trying to get to Billy. She remembered Broxas' words:

'She can watch her friend die firrrrst.'

No. She wasn't about to let them kill her companion, unless she gave them permission. And that wasn't about to happen anytime soon.

"M-m-Mandy, help!"

The redhead looked over to see the beasts looming towards him, talons outstretched and ready to pierce flesh. Mandy cursed him silently for moving so far away, but still edged her way towards his flailing arms.

"Move, and the pain will be greaterrrrr!"

The blonde didn't listen to their foolish calls, and reached out to her friend. She grabbed his hand and held it tight as the Jutanios closed in. With a final kick of her leg, she and the idiot were sucked into the green vortex.

Not fast enough, though, to avoid being grazed by the claws.

"UUhh…"

Billy uttered only a short gasp as one nail hit his back, right before being sucked in. His body fell limp for a moment, and the familiar brightness drained from his eyes.

"Billy?"

As forcefully as being hit by a bulldozer, the demons collided with their bodies and pushed them farther in, barely missing the entrance themselves.

The two were spit out onto a hot surface, Broxas and Decarabia shrieking at them from behind.

"Billy, are you alright?" Her voice was, for once, tainted with distress as they landed on the earth.

His back was sticky and red, and a large gash tore down his striped shirt. Which, one might add, was no longer white.

"Damn it."

The redhead lay on the ground beside her unmoving, only gasping once or twice every few seconds. He had hurt himself before on numerous occasions, and was even fond of whacking himself when he was bored. But never had he experienced a slice like what was open upon his back.

Blood was pumping profusely from the wound, threatening to make him dizzy and staining the cloth overtop of it. It soaked into the ground but didn't leave a mark, as the dirt beneath them was already a dark crimson color.

The blonde touched his shoulder gently, trying to get some kind of reaction from him. He shuddered, but did not speak a word.

"C'mon, swine, if we don't move those monsters are going to catch up with us. They're probably entering the portal right now."

Her eyes darted between him and the vortex, and she was again faced with a decision.

Leave now, and hide from the winged menaces. Or stay, help her friend, and possibly get caught.

"You are going to give me every penny of your allowance from now 'till you move out, Billy. You owe me so much for this."

Mandy placed her hands under his arms, and looked around. The environment they were now in seemed almost prehistoric, with tall palms and vast jungle spread out before them. A large volcano could be seen in the far distance, its head just poking above the treetops. It would have looked a lot like the Amazon, if not for the absurd paints that complimented everything within the world.

The ground was red, the sky was a blurry yellow, and the sun was the queerest shade of orange imaginable. Even the plants were all wrong, speckled purple and blue in places where they should have been green. It was as if some maniacal artist had decided to simply forget about the natural order of things and splash colorants wherever he pleased.

The blonde was disturbed by the incorrect use of colors, but wasn't particularly interested in investigating the matter at that exact moment. Mandy was never one to waste time accomplishing something, especially during an important situation.

She dragged her friend over to a nearby shrub, and set him down behind it. Billy seemed to be reviving, but she couldn't be sure. All she could tell by looking at him was that the bleeding hadn't stopped, and almost all the blush was gone from his cheeks. The teen sighed wearily and crouched down beside the redhead.

"Don't make a sound, don't move, and don't annoy me more than you already have." She whispered to the fallen figure. "Honestly, the things I do for you, I have no idea wh…"

She fell short of her sentence as another rip formed maybe 20 or 30 meters away, opening up to reveal that the twins were still hot on their trail. Their wings and nostrils flared in anger as they landed on the ground, shaking the earth as they did so. The one with red eyes put one talon forward and sniffed the air for a moment. Whispering something to his brother, they began to chuckle.

"Weee know where you are, childreeeen."

"Our nostrilsss are rich with the stench of your flessssh. You can hide nothing from ussss. Not even the sweet smell of fear."

Sweat ran down Mandy's forehead as she heard this. The sun above her had sunk halfway beneath the surface, but still produced enough light that they could find her and him easily enough. If they knew where to look.

Another talon came foreword, followed by a huge black body. Feathers ruffled and teeth bared as the bird locked onto her scent.

"There, in the bushhhh. Make it nice and slow. This might be our last kill, for a while. Force her to watch, if you pleassssse."

Broxas made a slight courtesy, as if to let his sibling have the first go; as if it were a privilege. Mandy gaped when they began to move closer towards them.

There was no point in hiding, she decided. They would have as much luck if they came right out in the open and fought for their lives. Besides, it seemed cowardly to simply wait and see what would happen, instead of having the nerve to fend for one's self.

"Fine, then. Come and get me."

Mandy stood up from behind the bush, revealing herself although they had already known where she was.

"We smelll blood, as well. Guess your friennnnd got a little knick, eh? Hehehe."

They shared another laugh, positively giddy from the excitement of the hunt.

"Wait, Broxas? What'ssss that?"

Blue irises focused on something behind his brother, and past the girl. She was confused for a moment, before feeling hot breath on her neck and a putrid odor reach her nose. From somewhere under her, Billy mumbled.

"Oooh….my head. Ehhh? Mandy, is what I'm seeing a dream? 'Cause mom said dinosaurs went all X stink-ed a gillion years ago. Please, I wanna dream about giant rubber ducks, not giant lizard things."


	10. Sacrifices

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. They've never been mine, and they never will be. Unless Maxwell Atoms says so, because he owns them.

AN: Thanks for the reviews, everyone! In this chapter it is revealed that Broxas is Decarabia's elder, in case you don't catch it. Just to let you know.

**Chapter 10**

It wasn't exactly a dinosaur, but it looked a lot like one. Mandy only caught one quick glance of it before returning her attention to her bleeding comrade, but it was long enough to see a plain difference; this creature had not one, but two heads emerging from a single neck. One was covered with scarlet scales, while the other glittered a bright gold. Its body remained the expected greenish-brown color.

Other than that, it could be probably be mistaken for a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Right.

"Billy, _get up_!"

The reptile behind the duo opened its jaws wide as though it were about to eat them, but made no move to snap the two teens up.

HHHHHRROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAARRR!!!!!

The thunderous roar was enough to break an eardrum, as there was double the amount of mouths, and Mandy had to fight to stay planted on the ground; such power almost knocked her off her feet. The beast waved its heads back and forth while the two Jutanios looked on with interest. After all, the dinosaur was at least as big as them, if not larger.

"Look, Broxassss. Something else to destroyyyy."

Their cheerful attitude was short-lived, as the red and yellow lizard snarled at them again. It took one gigantic step in the direction of the fiends, baring its teeth as it did so. Only then did the supernatural beings decided that perhaps defeating their prey would be more difficult than expected.

KEEEEEERAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Both birds vocalized in sharp, high-pitched shrieks. They were like a hawk's cries tenfold, and seemed to slice through the very air itself. As they screeched and hollered, they flared their wings and fluffed their feathers, creating the illusion that they were much bigger than they actually were. The bi-headed beast made no move to back down, though, and continued to puff jets of rank breath from its four nostrils.

"Hurry, while they aren't paying attention."

Mandy head was still throbbing from the colossal bellow, as was his.

"Owww…." Billy complained as she half dragged, half walked him through the underbrush.

"Quiet." She snapped, in an oddly calm way.

A bluish-orange fern provided shelter for the moment, and it was there Billy began to whimper and scrape at his back. Another pool of blood began to form where they stopped, as more of the red liquid gushed from his hindquarters.

"You can't move any farther than this, huh?"

The blonde roughly propped her companion up against the bushes, and sat down next to him. Her arms were still kept ready to help her get up if anything unexpected happened. After all they had been through, she just couldn't tell what was possible or not anymore.

"We'll just have to wait here for the moment and see what happens next."

The cut redhead nodded wearily before leaning into her. And for once, she did not push him away. No, in such a desperate situation he would be allowed to use her shoulder as a headrest as they huddled beneath the shrubs, unsure of who to root for.

Why then did she feel such comfort in his warmth?

"Mmmpppgll…."

She turned away slightly as a wet bubble began to form on the edge of his lips. A ways away, more screaming could be heard. Action had begun in the opposite direction, and the girl did not want to miss it.

"Sssssstupid creature. Back down!" Decarabia demanded.

The Jutanios started to circle around their prey, quivering with fury that threatened to explode from within.

"Quiet, brother. Thisssss beast probably isn't even sentient. Jusssst a dumb animal, so do not heed its lack of response. Take the opposite sssside."

Broxas kept to the front of his reptilian opponent, tail swishing lazily from side to side. He eyed the double-headed animal hungrily before quickly flicking his neck.

The blue-eyed bird sprinted across the purple grass and leaves towards its meat, leaving huge toe-nail marks in the earth as he ran around. He stopped directly behind it and flapped his wings, fighting to gain altitude.

One head swiveled around in time to see the Jutanio make its move, while the three other beady eyes burned a hole into Broxas.

Mandy watched intently as the dinosaur appeared trapped. There seemed to be no way out for the lizard, and she feared the time when Billy would have to move again was drawing nearer.

It did not, however, seem to realize the trouble it was in. The beast only took a step closer to the elder of the brothers, who was still on the ground. Shaking its tail and leaning inwards, it blasted out another mighty roar. Decarabia missed a beat for a split-second, and wavered in the air. After he had steadied himself out again, though, his legs were brought up in a fighting stance.

"ATTACK NOW!" Broxas commanded.

He charged from in front, his beak snapping and clicking wildly as his legs became a blur. From a higher angle, his partner plunged towards the lizard's scaly back.

"Heh."

Amazingly, their foe let slip a sort of muffled chuckle. It was low and guttural, with hardly any emotion seeping through, but it was still a laugh. Both attackers were caught off guard, allowing only a second's time for reaction: but that alone was enough to come up with a battle strategy.

The crimson snout cracked sickeningly as it turned on its base, until looking behind the monstrous body. Its lips curled into an eerie grin as Decarabia continued to plummet towards hungry jaws. Meanwhile, the other head remained turned towards Broxas, who, luckily, opened his jagged wings and slowed down before impact. Talons dug into the grass as the demon halted, and called out.

"Stop, my brother! SSSSSTOP!"

The unfortunate sibling had no time to flap his wings or rise above the rows of teeth before they clamped down. No time at all

"NO!"

The red half shook its head violently, sending the supernatural creature in a world of pain. Never had it been beaten like that, and the blue-eyed fiend had no idea what to do. His elder brother, however, was a fast learner.

"Llllet go!"

His horns rammed into the side of his partner's captor as it clamped down harder, sending a vile green and yellow fluid oozing down its haunches. The yellow head swiveled around to greet Broxas, as did short, but deadly arms. The younger brother was released as the animal stomped angrily, and he fluttered uneasily towards the ground.

"Never mind thisssss brute, Dec. Jussst get the children!"

The dinosaur continued to wave its arms and snarl as Broxas glided over to his younger sibling. Almost sympathetically he began to lick the cuts that scarred his brethren's body as it lay on the dirt.

"Come now; I'm sssssure you can get up."

Decarabia rose to his talons as those words were spoken, the gleam of evil once again in his eye.

"Yessss. I'm going to enjoy thissss."

Their former prey stood where it had been hit, seeming to wage war with itself. The red head stuck its tongue out stupidly and made faces at the yellow, which simply frowned and rolled its eyes. Any interest it had in defeating the Jutanios would be put off until it could regain control.

"Stand up Billy!"

Mandy shouted at the bleeding boy, and shook him impatiently. He only murmured and twitched in his slumber, still obviously in immense pain. Her pink outfit was stained crimson with his blood as she grabbed his back.

"Aaah…Mandy….It burns!"

Even the slightest touch to his back sent hot spears of pain coursing through him, so the situation would have to be handled delicately. There was no time for that, however, and the blonde scrambled to figure out what to do. Her conclusion was uncharacteristically irrational, but she had a good excuse. Plucking her befallen comrade from the ground, she ran towards the multicolored dinosaur. The two appendages still seemed to be arguing, but maybe there was a slim chance that they would provide enough of a distraction to give her some time to think.

Ferns and plants of all different shades and textures were crushed beneath Mandy's feet as she pulled Billy by his shaggy red hair, as gently as she possibly could without slowing down. As she neared it, the reptilian caught sight of her devilish hair and looked at her questioningly. The blonde silently demanded that it protect them, instead of killing them like everyone else seemed to want to.

Broxas and Decarabia were not far behind; as soon as the teens had begun to move, they had followed. Each shared a knowing glance before delving into the utmost of their supernatural abilities. Their armored exteriors shone a bright purple as an evil aura surrounded them, and their eyes blackened. Once they had relished in their powers for a moment, the brothers threw their horned heads back and shrieked again.

TSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRR!!!

The two teens had no hope of getting out of the way, and the blonde knew it very well. Twin arrows of darkness were shooting at them from above, gaining speed with each passing moment. Soon, they were nothing but a streak of color and fury as the time before contact grew shorter. And all Mandy could do was seethe in anger.

"Uh?"

"Unngh!"

Crimson and golden heads swerved around in time to see their former enemies dive towards the little ones. The less intelligent appendage stuck his lip out and widened his eyes, looking deeply into the eyes of the yellow. It sighed and punched the red's scaly nose before turning around. Its thick legs faced the direction of the children, who remained fixed to the spot.

"Mandy? Bye-bye…I'll miss you…" Billy mumbled from Mandy's arms.

His words sent a thousand jolts of electricity through her body. They weren't even dead yet, and he would _miss _her? It was almost enough to loosen her hold on her emotions.

"Not yet, idiot. We'll find out soon enough what'll happen when we die, but don't label yourself deceased until you are."

Her final words to him were chilling, but almost kind by her standards. They weren't necessary, though. Seconds before collision and certain death, a savior arose.

"GRAAH!"

Both heads bellowed in pain as dagger-like beaks and talons entered its body, tearing apart muscle and flesh. With a last groan of resistance the dinosaur clawed at the demons, who were struggling to free themselves from the mess. Mandy looked on for a moment as they flapped above the red and yellow heads, the heads that almost reminded her of something-one frowning and one quivering in fear and hurt. There wasn't a moment to be wasted, though, and as soon as she saw the fighting distract Broxas and Decarabia she took off through the underbrush, pulling her bloody friend behind her.


	11. Swept Up By the Current

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. They've never been mine, and they never will be. Unless Maxwell Atoms says so, because he owns them.

**Chapter 11**

**AN: **More action. Yay!

-KKBS

HRRRROOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!

The beasts behind her raged on, continuing their battle over the teenagers while they made a quick escape.

"Unnnghhhh…"

After Billy had begun to squirm, Mandy had switched from dragging him by his hair to the collar of his stained shirt. He was just beginning to wake up again, and although his head was unclear and filled with more fuzz than normal, he could understand what was going on.

"Mandy, watch out! There're giant monster things behind you, with big sharp teeth like forks!…"

His quondam limp body was still no longer, as his arms waved wildly in an attempt to speed things up. Needless to say, his actions did not help much.

"Quit moving back there, or so help me I will leave you behind." The blonde snarled as she glanced at him over her shoulder.

The redhead stopped flailing like a beached whale for a moment and stared sadly at her. He was very much afraid of the fact that she might let him go, but she had no real intention to. Threatening him was simply the most effective way to get him to be quiet, so that was her strategy. But after she had told Billy that she was going to abandon him, she felt almost…bad.

Had he not been there, it surely would have been her to take the blow- so she should have been grateful to have him with her. Not to mention the companionship he provided, and a constant partner to turn to during those rare instances when she needed assistance. And as Mandy stared at the wide-eyed face scraping across the grass, she felt her face soften.

"You sicken me." Was all she said to him, and slowed to a jog.

The ferns that had slapped at her for the longest of times began to thin out, and make way for dangling vines and vegetation. While she had usually been able to look only ten feet in any given direction she could now see through perhaps twenty. The colors that danced across the leaves and plants also differed from those seen in the thick jungle; bright blues and silvers replaced the oranges and purples, and some could almost be called transparent.

As her impaired sight was fixed, a new sense was introduced; hearing.

The hushed sound of babbling water informed them both that a river or stream was nearby, and Mandy gave her best effort to try and follow it. There was the possibility that it would wield new hiding places, or protection of some sort from the murderous Jutanios.

"Where is it?" The blonde mumbled to herself, before a flash of foresight streaked through her mind.

She bounded out of the way as quickly as a rabbit darting from a fox, before the southern trees snapped and plummeted around her. They collapsed to the ground in abundance, giving way to the tussling dinosaur and demonic birds. Their savior's wound still trickled greenish blood onto its muscular legs as it fell onto its back, Broxas and Decarabia trying to get a clear shot at its throat. The girl stood in awe once more, watching and dodging claws and rocks that flew up from the ground.

"NYYYAAH!"

The red face stretched towards the sound of water, gesturing that they move towards it. Its eyes were full of despair and anguish as it turned once more to the twin monsters. She knew what it was trying to say. As it struggled to fend off the attackers, Mandy pulled Billy over to the water; it was their only chance at getting away fast enough now.

As soon as the children had disappeared into the herbage, the lizard rolled over and thrust its clawed toes upwards. The nails met one of their marks, and Decarabia's head turned 180 degrees as the crooked foot buffeted his scaly snout. The younger sibling finally admitted defeat, and his mangled body buckled before falling to the earth. Injuries from the previous encounter had taken their toll, and the fiend stayed down.

"Dec!"

His brother gave one last growl before getting off his prey, again checking to make sure he was alright.

"Go, my kin, and asssssemble the troops. Ready for them for the day of dominationnn, when we overthrown Persephone-I can take care of the chillldren."

Broxas touched Decarabia gently and enveloped his body with the blackness of feathery wings. The blue-eyed Jutanio opened only one eye and whimpered, then bowed his head on agreement. A purple-ish aura encircled his body for a moment, and in a burst of demonic energy, he was gone.

The bi-headed creature rose from its belly, arms wobbling slightly as they were weak from the exertion of combat. Its chest heaved up and down with each deep breath it took, and all four eyes pierced through Broxas. The bird presented him with an equally lustful glare, one filled with nothing but pure hatred and abhorrence.

"You hurrrrt my brother, animal, so prrrrepare to DIE!"

The golden nostrils flared and its frown deepened as he spoke his words of vengeance, while the scarlet lips opened a few centimeters, allowing a big pink tongue to stick out. Even though it looked utterly clueless, it was fearsome.

Broxas could stand the tension no longer, and talons were pounding across the grass a split-second later. The reptile hunched over and spread it arms out, so that it looked almost like a football player. As the two beasts collided, one pushed with all his might, trying to flip his rival onto its back, while the other dug its feet into the ground and held the other at bay. Each propelled themselves against the other with all their might, until the bird darted upwards, leaving his opponent with nothing to grasp.

It stumbled and almost lost its footing, giving Broxas enough time to furl his wings and dive down. His claws grazed the dinosaur's necks, evoking a loud scream of pain and suffering t rumble from both throats. The demon smirked; after finding its weak points, he thought that his work was almost finished, that he had nearly won. He was wrong.

The afflicted dinosaur's clawed hand lunged into the air and closed around a scaly neck, making it writhe as it tightened its grip. Now the two fighters had reached a tie game. They both had the others' jugular within their immediate reach, and both were equally tired. The twin heads had the upper hand, though-there was still one appendage untouched and able to free the other.

And that's exactly what it did.

With enough power to crush a cement block the yellow jaws clamped down on black talons, shaking its head as it did so to make sure the Jutanio would let go. It did, and it was left to flounder uselessly at the lizard's mercy. Giving a rough snort, it squeezed harder for a moment, then released its hold. With a quick curl of its fist it punched Broxas on his crooked beak, before throwing him to the ground.

As he lay, vision partially shrouded by the vines and ferns, the demon watched the beast fall to its knees, wounds bleeding profusely. It looked over in his direction, and for a moment it seemed like it was ready to charge him again. But it did not, and instead, both heads turned to the other and hugged, the way only a head could. With its final breath, it sucked air into its lungs and shot it back out.

GGGGGGGRRRRAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOHHH!

Both faces grew silent then, and its body pitched forward. Within a few moments its chest ceased it endless rhythm of rising and falling. A few moments after that, not a heartbeat could be heard. Storm clouds were beginning to form overhead and a light drizzle began, as if the very jungle itself were weeping. It was a silly thought, but Broxas could swear it sounded like crying. He looked at the fallen beast and bowed his head in respect. The bird may have been cruel and heartless, but he honored his opponents, when they put up a good challenge.

"Resssssst in peace, animal. At eassssse."

A clap of thunder snapped him from his appreciation, and reminded him of his goal. He had to take care of those two insolent teens. They were only mortals after all, and still they managed to slide away….

GABM

"Here, Billy. You can get your drink."

Mandy had allowed her friend to take a quick drink from the river they had finally located, as both of them were on the brink of dehydration. Thank God it had started to rain, as the heat had inflicted devastation on them both. As the redhead bent over and happily scooped up mouthfuls of the thirst-quenching liquid, she realized just how long they had gone without food and water. William had served them a bit of toast and jam along with their tea, but that had to have been at least 12 hours ago.

Had it really only been that long? To them, it felt like an eternity. Her tongue began to feel very dry as she continued to watch Billy playfully gurgling the water and rinsing his sweaty face with it. It was lucky the current wasn't very strong, or he may have had to be more careful.

The redhead enjoyed his games of 'squirt the water…from my nose!' and giggled with every time he won. His back, although still in pain and leaking blood, was feeling much better. It probably had something to do with his short attention span.

"Teehee-I win!"

He splashed water merrily as water dribbled down his nose, mixed in with some other rather disgusting things. As he continued his boisterous playing, he looked over his shoulder at a few drops that had been flung behind him. He chuckled, then shifted his focus to the girl standing a few feet behind him. Her pink outfit was very much in need of a wash, her hair was a mess, and the look on her face did not compensate, but still, he was fascinated.

'Geez. Mandy looks really prettyful.'

Billy couldn't control what his thoughts were, nor did he want to. But that shocked him, just the same.

'I thought that? No way! I didn't know I could think in my head. But Mandy…huh?"

He lost the ability to articulate what his thoughts meant then, as a wave of new ones threatened to overpower the old.

"What do you want?" The blonde growled.

She had caught him staring at her, his eyebrows scrunching up every few moments as if he were thinking deeply. She pushed the notion aside. There was no way he could be doing _that._

She had him red-handed, and the idiot struggled to come up with an excuse. One was presented to him in the most alarming way.

"I was just, uh…looking at the demon bird thing. Yeah that's it, and uh-HOLY CRUD THERE'S A MONSTER BEHIND YOU!"

Broxas made little noise and he swung out from behind the vegetation, claws and teeth bared.

Mandy's eyes widened and she uncrossed her arms as Billy alerted her of the enemy, who was rushing at them full speed. And this time, there was no one to help them.

"Get in!"

The teen placed one foot on Billy's rear, as he was still crouched over the edge of the brook, and pushed him in. She herself leapt into the moving water as jaws snapped above her head. The Jutanio was so close she could feel the wind from his wings.

Billy flailed in the water for a moment before remembering what his arms were for. He began his strokes in the middle of the river, gliding over to where his friend had splashed in. her head broke the water a few seconds later, and she started to swim as well. She knew, though, that they didn't have much time before the current would hit them, and carry them farther away than ever. This was no problem, as long as they escaped from Broxas, but where would they end up? It was impossible to tell.

'I'lllll get you, humans." The fiend raged inside his head. 'Dearabia is already on his way to set Persephone in her place. And when that happens….I'll have all the time in the world to catch you.'


	12. A Peaceful Moment Under the Moon

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. They've never been mine, and they never will be. Unless Maxwell Atoms says so, because he owns them.

**AN: **Wow. I'm so sorry for this latelatelate update. slaps self I've been very, very busy as of late.

Anyways, this chapter hopefully makes up for the lack of romance in the story so far. At least advances it, I hope. The show needs more sweet moments like this…

One last word: I actually had time to try and draw a pitiful piece of artwork for this story. Just type in the keyword Jutanio on It's the only one that'll show up, so it won't be hard too miss.

On with chapter 12,

-KKBS

**Chapter 12**

The girl and boy splashed in vain as the current mercilessly tore them apart from each other. As predicted, the first few seconds of their ride had been calm, and almost enjoyable. But now that they were nearing the rapids, things began to get a bit wilder.

"Sssssstay still!"

Broxas shouted at them but they couldn't stop even if they wanted to. He squinted and blinked droplets of water from his eyes, as the clouds continued to pour their burden onto his already soggy body.

He shook his wings and held them close to his torso, angling himself into the trees. There was a chance that the long, meaty leaves would give the bird shelter enough to lock onto his targets. He couldn't see anything by gliding just above the water, at any rate.

Jagged rocks loomed into Billy and Mandy's sight, in numbers far greater than they could hope to pass by unscathed.

"M-bluh-Mandy, there's..bleh, giant pebbles in our way! They'll chop us up into itty bitty-kehh-pieces!" The redhead exclaimed while swallowing mouthfuls of the swirling liquid.

His remark was useless, as the blonde had known of their fate from afar. Her thoughts were as jumbled and tangled as the foamy water that churned around her. How could they avoid the boulders?

"Ah! Ma baaack!"

He was a few feet in front of her, and sinking fast. His already sore injuries were cursing him once again, and the tremendous pain prevented him from controlling his movements. Mandy was getting tired, and inadmissibly so. She barely had enough strength left to keep her own body from relaxing and giving in, let alone supporting another. But her willpower was even more potent than her robust constitution; it had gotten her out of trouble before, and it would again.

Her face was a distorted picture of torment and tenacity as she forced herself to take long strokes over to her accomplice, and the young woman's arms were about ready to fall off when she finally reached him. The thunderclouds above her spoke her mind, although she could not: they boomed and thundered with ferocity never heard before. Mandy's arms closed around Billy's torso as the last of her brawn was used up, and she grew inanimate.

"Excccccellant."

Broxas kept pace with the two teens as they continued to near the rocks. Seeing that 'the strong one' had also lost the battle to keep afloat, he shot out from under the foliage and skimmed above the river, stopping atop the two lumps of flesh that had been such a nuisance from the very start. By opening his feathered appendages he gained height, and therefore more time to dive down. In doing this he made a fatal mistake: and it was one that would only increase his frustration.

Many believe in coincidences or fate. True, Billy and Mandy had escaped from some very nasty situations by a hair, on several accounts. Some could call that luck. Their whole adventure had been nothing but surprise twists and turns and instances where it seemed as though a guardian angel had to be protecting them.

Nonsense.

They were remaining alive not because of some omniscient force guiding them, or helping them along. It was because, time after time, any enemy that crossed paths with them made a mistake. That fact held true when the demon flew upwards.

His deed was sneaky, and unfair. He had them cornered in a spot where they could not hope to get away-both were far too tired to do anything above him if he decided to kill them right there and then. The fiend rubbed his talons in delight, absorbing the satisfaction of ripping them apart. He shouldn't have.

"KRAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

The skies unleashed a streak of electricity, and the foolish demon, who had risen above the treetops, was the first thing it touched. Mandy opened one heavy eyelid in time to catch a glimpse of Broxas, then the bones inside of him. An overwhelming smell of burning flesh filled her nostrils, even though he was far away.

His wild shaking and twitching ceased as the lightning died down, and save for a kick of his feet, he too became as stiff as a statue. From losing the ability to keep his wings open he could not stay aloft, and plunged towards the murky waters. A loud splash was heard as he broke the surface, and was submerged.

Mandy sputtered and coughed as she choked down some froth, and her eyes stung from the turbulent waves. Now all three were within feet of the obstacles. And soon, they had hit them.

The blonde felt as if her chest was being crushed as she was pounded against the rocks, and each slap of foam at her face was like a living hell. Still, she managed to maintain her grip on Billy, and used him almost as a raft to help her keep above the surface. In return for his unconscious favor she made sure he was kept in the air, and checked on his breathing whenever she could.

Although it was dark and the air was thick, Mandy was sure she felt the larger creature bump into her at some point, and saw it being carried away by the current. Her glance revealed a new opportunity; by the riverbank a line of smaller crags supplied her with something to hold onto. With numb fingers and deadened arms she pulled onto them one by one. Her endeavors awoke Billy from his comatose state, and he again began to jerk.

The girl made no move to stop him, though, as she was too focused on reaching the side of the bank. After a few minutes of nonsensical wiggling he caught onto her plan, and helped by also keeping a firm grip, making sure she did not let go.

The water persisted in its malicious rampage when they finally flopped onto the dry ground, panting and sweating, cold and waterlogged. Without even realizing what she was doing Mandy allowed her head to rest on Billy's chest, and almost enjoyed the soothing rise and fall of his breathing. She felt like she was going to sleep forever, and she might have, had she not snapped back to reality.

"Ughhh…"

She frowned in distaste and sat up quickly, rubbing her temples and glowering at the goose bumps that crawled up her skin. Was it the temperature Or something else….?

The idiot too picked himself off the earth, and placed his hands on his knees. His tongue hung out from his blue lips, and his messy red hair was flattened against his forehead.

Amazingly, he had not yet lost his hat.

For the longest time they just sat and breathed, enjoying what little peace they had. Billy broke the silence when he could no longer contain himself.

"So, are we gonna stays here for the night?"

Only then did the blonde look up and see the full moon, in all its glory. No wonder it had seemed to bright.

"'Cause I can make popcorn and butter with salt, 'cept it'll have no salt. And no butter. And no popcorn. Hey wait, we can eat ourselves!"

Cannibalism enthused him greatly, and he began to chew relentlessly on his own arm. Mandy slapped his mouth and shook him.

"Stop that, you ninny. We won't eat ourselves, even if we're hungry. We'll just have to nourish ourselves with what's available."

Looking around, she couldn't find much else besides the leaves and plants. There wasn't even any wood to make a fire. And because of the darkness, it wouldn't be wise to leave the area in search of something tastier. As awful as it sounded, they would have to resort to the ferns.

"Here. Take this, and shut up."

The girl tore a large strip of the blue herbage, and stuck it in his face. One eyebrow lifted and he sniffed it, as though that would help in any way.

"Ok!"

He chomped onto the leafy plant, nearly taking Mandy's hand off along with it. He chewed it slowly and carefully as she ripped herself some of the food. The redhead's eyes glowed in delight as he found his meal to be satisfying, while the blonde nearly gagged on the awful taste.

"I want more! Pleeeese?"

He clasped his hands together and begged. Rolling her eyes, the blonde gave him some more.

Another awkward silence followed as the teens ate. Billy, of course, could not bear it.

"So? Whadya thinkin' about?" He asked after belching loudly.

The question surprised Mandy, and she found herself unable to answer for a moment. Then, as breezily as she could, she replied:

"How much trouble this trip has been for such trivial gain. We haven't made much progress."

"Oooh, that's a lot of big words." Billy chortled and wiped his nose. Suddenly, he became serious-something as rare as those fleeting moments of intellect.

"Isn't it funny that after all this things are gonna be all normal again? Just like that time with those Huggy Bears. When we save the world, we're still going to have a Prom to go to."

Mandy flinched at the mention of that special occasion. It reminded her of who he was going with, and how much she despised the little wench.

"If we save it, Billy. If. And I suppose it is rather stupid, huh? No one will be the wiser, and things will be right back to the way they always were. As for the Prom...you do realize Mindy doesn't like you."

It was more of a statement than a question, and one she hated asking.

"Yeah, abouts that…"

Billy scratched his head nervously, then looked away.

"I don't think I want to go with her anymore."

Mandy was filled with a sense of shock and relief when he said that. Why would she be relieved remained unanswered.

"And why not?"

"Well, it doesn't feel too good anymore. I've been thinking about her, and it's not as nice as it was before. She used to make me feel all happy and, uh…"

He made a motion with his hands, putting them close to his heart and tapping. She understood. Male hormones.

"But now she doesn't. It's really weird, huh?"

Mandy didn't reply. Instead, she simply stared at him. He looked back, and a spark, a flare seemed to pass between them. Her face began to feel hot, so she decided to answer, to ease the tension.

"Yah. Weird."

Billy smiled widely and nodded.

"I'm going to be the only person without a date. That must make me special!"

He tottered back and forth, giggling to himself.

"Not the only one, stupid."

The boy paused his fun and games, and his face fell. He seemed troubled by her lack of happiness.

"Aw, Mandy. Don't be all sad. We can be dateless together!"

What a senseless paradox that was. And yet, it made her feel a bit better. Although it wasn't like she was crying over the loss anyways.

"Wait. You aren't going with Irwin? Didn't he ask you lotsa times, hmmm?"

At that, she felt a terrible anger welling up inside, ready to burst and overflow. She clenched her fist and shut her eyes, trying to keep calm.

"No, Billy. I would never go with someone like him-so clingy, and can't take no for answer. I'd rather keep him as a punching bag than anything else."

He positively glowed as her reluctance was spoken. On the inside, he too felt better knowing she was without a partner.

"Then we'll just lean on the wall and watch everyone else dance around all happy-like, then do the tango, and the limbo, and the waltz, and the linguine, and the spaghetti…"

He carried on with his list of what he thought were dances before turning to face her again. Without hesitation, he took one of her hands and squeezed it.

"That'll be F-O-N FUN!"

Still grinning, he let go and looked deep into her eyes. The intimacy made her sweat a little, but there were no further advances.

"Good night, Mandy!"

He said to her, before scrunching into a little ball and falling fast asleep. Not at all surprising, but abrupt, just the same.

The blonde made herself a comforter out of a few leaves, and rested her head on them. Looking up into the starry sky, she reminisced on their conversation. He wasn't going with Mindy. That was good. Or was it? At least if he had a date, he would be kept busy and not tag along with her. But she almost wanted his company.

What in the world was happening?

She pushed those thoughts aside and was reminded of Broxas and Decarabia;. although they had seen both disappear, at least one was still definitely alive. And the other, the one that had been carried away by the river, was almost sure to come back. Eventually.

Her thoughts kept her awake for some time, before she looked over at Billy. He was drooling from an open mouth, and hugging a small piece of what was left of his meal. The sight eased her weary mind, and she soon found herself drifting in and out…


	13. A Traitorous Villain

**Disclaimer: **These characters do not belong to me, and never will. Unless Maxwell Atoms says so, because he owns 'em.

**AN: **I was just listening to 'Ghost Love Score' by Nightwish when typing up this chapter, and noticed that I could relate the rest of the story to it. I don't know why, I just could. The instrumentals clearly put the vision of the battles and swooping and diving and running and blah blah blah. Yup.

Another word, more fanart has been drawn for the story. (Holy Crap!) Go to deviant art . com (no space between the words, though) and type in 'Match Made In Hell.' On the first page there is a picky of a very bloody Billy, derived from either chapter 9 or 10. A big thanks to the illustrator, who is hopefully going to read this chapter. ;)

On with le chapter 13,

-KKBS

**Chapter 13**

Decarabia cursed as he allowed himself to float for a moment, before entering a specific portal. Damn those children. Damn that dinosaur. They were all far too much trouble for what they were worth. But perhaps his elder brother had taken care of them by then; he was usually very reliable and a swift and experienced hunter. The brute shed no mercy whatsoever for the youth of the humans, concentrating all of his fury on the nuisance they had been.

'Whennnnnn I get back…'

The demon shut his eyes as pain rocketed through him. The exit from dimensions was not particularly gentle, and the rips in his flesh from the lizard's retaliation bedeviled him greatly. He dismissed the martyrdom, though, as the setting cheered him up.

He was back in the Underworld, the one place where he finally felt at home. There, there were no pesky mortals running free, but hideous beats that he could relate to. Decarabia smirked on the inside, although his body was still drenched in sweat and blood. Soon, it would be all his and brother's, to rule and dominate.

Persephone was going to run the race for them, and they were going to trip her, and pass by at the finish line. She had been storing her energy for years, waiting until the right moment to unleash it and eradicate Death. It was through this potency that she had attracted her followers. But there was a catch-she had been separated from this power as it was building until Death was gone, leaving herself as little more than a mortal with the ability to create life. She could not defend herself, nor could she fight. But she had put her trust in him and Broxas to help her during the four days it would take to get rid of Death. And that was her fault.

Gracelessly, he heaved his aching self over to a large stalagmite protruding from the ground. There was nothing special about that one rock, as the entire cavern he had landed was filled with them. Stalactites also hung from the ceiling, increasing the indifference and difficulty in telling any apart from another. Only one factor of importance was present. The stalagmite was located near the edge of a bluff, which arched into an open canyon about 50 feet deep. When the demon pulled himself over the edge, it became apparent just how many followers had been recruited.

Hundreds of thousands of beasts populated the valley, in such mass that it was almost impossible to tell where group began and one ended. Colorful, bland wide, slender, freakishly tall and unnaturally short. Some were even missing or supporting more than the usual number of limbs. Although they all looked different, and some more so than others, each was required to have one thing in common: stupidity.

None of the monsters could ever hope to think for themselves, which was why there were so many willing to be led into battle. A battle that would come unexpected, and so impetuously that no one would be able to stop it. The Goddess herself was planning to do just that, in order to exact her foolish revenge. But it was not her that would reap the benefits. For the meanwhile, Decarabia had to continue to pretend he was her friend, and faithful ally.

Wincing, he swooped down, gliding over the rocky hill into the gorge below. His black stomach scratched over a few pointed 'mites before he reached the bottom.

"Perssssssephone! He called out, grinning devilishly. "I am baaaack!"

A low mumble spread through the crowd of supernatural beasts, all of whom were as uninformed of the situation as babies. A few warty brutes brandished weapons, rattling them and threatening to jab them at him. Other canines flexed their claws and growled in warning. The fiend simply ignored them, and made his way through the swarm slowly.

Only on being, a tiny, insignificant looking gecko dared to confront him properly. The bird honored him for his courage, but was not kind in any way. As the small being barked and hissed, raising a sharp fin on his back, the demon shut his eyes and searched his body for whatever energy was left. When they reopened, the little lizard was trying to bite and snap at his talons. Decarabia's pupils had turned a dark purple, and the irises were no longer blue, but a shrouded black. An aura, miniscule in proportion to what he could usually attain, blanketed him.

The gecko looked up as he looked down, and suddenly, it was dead. No effort was needed to take it out-not even the movement of an appendage. The rest of the creatures stared in awe at the fiend, before stepping back and forming a path for him to travel through. Such dumb animals they were….  
He walked regally now, basking in the fear that filled the air at the sight of their fallen comrade. Not one wanted to challenge him now.

"I said, I havvve come!"

The crowd parted again as the Goddess advanced from behind. No matter how dark the cave was, or how monochromatic the colors seemed, she was still striking. She looked as out of place as a silver coin in the midst of pennies.

"Dec! My friend, you have no idea how glad I am to see you. I must speak with you about…our plans."

The demon cringed. He hated being called that name by anyone but his brother.  
Persephone ran up to him, her bare feet pattering softly against the ground, and hugged his scaly neck. Her warmth pressed against him invitingly, but he did little else than crane his neck in response.

"You're hurt, brother."

She always gave the name of 'brother' or 'sister' to everyone. She loved all as if they were family. How one so caring and earnest in her love had become so devoted to such an atrocity as domination puzzled him.

"I knnnnow." He answered wryly. "I am at faullllt for that. I should have been more careful."

The Goddess bit her lip and examined him.

"The children did this to you?"

Decarabia did not have time to answer, as her genuine concern shifted to his brother.

"Where is Broxas?"

"I do not knowwww. All I can say for certain issss that the young ones are dead, or will be soon."

Persephone stared at her toes. She hadn't wanted to have to kill them. If only they hadn't been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Her feelings began to overpower her, and the doubts she had initially had from the start began to rise.

"Dec?"

"Yesssss?"

"What if I can't do this? Those babies…ugh…Will I have to obliterate more innocent lives? I'm not sure I can. This is hard enough already…."

"I'm herrrre to help you." He reassured.

In his mind, though, he was disgusted. So much weakness over a bit of bloodshed.

Ridiculous.

It only showed how she was not one of the strong, and undeserving to rule all.  
He covered her quivering form with one enormous wing, holding the Goddess gently to his body.

"I can't. I won't. This is all too much…"

She wept softly into his feathers, gripping them in her slender fingers. What mood swings this lady had. It was outrageous. But then, one could not condemn her without being unfair. She had been through so much, and her mind had been flooded with thoughts of evil.  
It was the perfect opportunity to take advantage of her, as she was not always as ready to lean on another's shoulder as she was now.

"Don't cry, my ladyyyyy. We will do it anywaysssss."

Persephone raised her head and sniffed.

"W-what?" Her dove-like voice rang out in alarm. The hoard of creatures continued to stare.

"I sssssaid, I will do it. Whether you liiiiike it or not."

She tried to push him away, and run from the traitor. But he held her fast in place with his claws, keeping a tight grip on her waist.

"You werrrre unwise to trust ussss. And now your stupidity hasss become your downfall."

His brother may not have been there, but that didn't stop the back-stabber from carrying out what he had plotted from long ago. Still holding his former friend in his talons, Decarabia flapped into the air above the mass of creatures, who couldn't seem to care less that the lady was in trouble. He hefted her flailing body back and forth, toying with her emotions and physical state. The walls of the valley were blood red, and the strip of sky visible above them was pitch black. No one would be able to hear or see what came next unless they were required to. Hollering as loud as he could, the demon strained to get the creatures' attentions.

"This, your former leader, hassss retired from her duties! It is I who shall be your rulerrrr now, and all who oppose my authority shall be ssssslain on sight!"

They gawked dumbly at him, occasionally mumbling to one another.

"Hear me, simplllletons! Do you not want power?!"

That, they could understand.

"YES!"

Came the response, along with woops and cheers. The demon smirked.

"And are you willing to followwwww my lead in order to attain it!?"

"YES!"

"Excellent!"

It was so easy. Like from a dream. But it had happened, no matter how unbelievable it sounded, and the warriors clapped and shrieked in approval. The idiots. Not only would they most likely die in battle, but they would not gain anything from serving the demon.

"Why are you doing this?"

Persephone whispered from his clutches.

"Becaussssse, fool, you made it so very eassssy. Had you not been bent on your revenge, none of this would have happened. I willll take advantage of the great opportunity you have laid out before me. After all, who would not want to become king of all universsssses and worlds?" He chuckled before landing back down onto the ground.

Remembering where he had seen her keep the Reaper, he ambled wearily on his clawed feet, switching her struggling self over to his beak. The lady found herself staring into his blue eyes-the eyes filled with evil and greed. And she could not believe it was happening.

A few moments later, she was flung into the cell-which was located in the side of the hill- alongside Grim. The skeleton had been alone in his prison for several hours, with no word or knowledge of what was going on in the outside. And now, his enemy was rudely thrown in with him by some bird? The absurd lack of sense was enough to make him yell.

"If you'rrrre not going to help, Perssssephone," The demon called to where she lay. "you will have to stay here, with this, your sworn enemyyyy. Ironic, is it not?"

He noticed the scythe propped up against a ledge, and took it in his mouth. Gleefully, Decarabia twirled it around tauntingly, keeping it just out of their reach.

"Heh. You, Persephone, should not have parted with your immortal powers so readily. Now, neither of you can fight me, while I have enough energy to take over where you left off." He laughed loudly. "Fools."

Decarabia enveloped himself with his aura, and glanced at them.

"So long, _friend_."

After he had disappeared, Grim turned to the limp brunette. At first, he was worried that she was dead. But that was impossible, after all, so he shook her instead.

"What's goin' on here, mon?"

He said gently, and waited for a response.

"Treason." Came the faint reply.

"Hmm….."

It didn't really explain much, but the Reaper felt the need to press no further. At least, not for a while. She was, after all, still a lady, even if she had been out to destroy him. More importantly, if she was being held captive by some other being she was no longer the immediate threat. Besides, her beautiful face, no matter how soft and gentle, was wet with tears.

"I'm sorry."

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry, Grim." Her head was still in the dirt, and the flames that licked around their jail caused an eerie shadow to fall upon her.

"I should have realized it sooner. This was all such a big mistake. And I am not meant for cruelty. I should have forgiven you for something you did so long ago…"

"Dere, dere. You cry far too much, child."

How could he be expected to comfort her? The Goddess had been his rival only moments ago, and now she was apologizing?  
His thoughts were cut short as she rose from the earth, and quickly wrapped her arms around his body neck, sobbing into the sockets and vertebrae.  
He patted her back awkwardly, and looked around for an excuse to keep talking. The jagged walls provided no answer, and his thoughts were left to roam free. Grim suddenly remembered his messengers, and the one hope he clung to for some kind of help.

"Where are Billy and Mandy?"

There was no response before a bitter choke escaped from her throat.

"Dead."

If he had a heart, it would have stopped.


	14. Morning's Glory

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. They've never been mine, and they never will be. Unless Maxwell Atoms says so, because he owns them.

AN: So sorry for the late update (again)!!! I've been busy all this past week with final tests and crap-ola.

Anyways, this chapter should be good for those that have been waiting for more BillyxMandyness….I shall say no more.

-KKBS

**Chapter 14**

Sunlight seeped through the leaves and tree branches, warming the bank upon which she lay.

Morning.

Mandy's eyes fluttered for a moment before she realized that her quiet slumber had not stopped of its own accord. A faint wetness was collecting on her neck, slowly making its way down her shoulder and onto her arms and back. She immediately set her eyebrows to their usual frown, and allowed her gaze to slowly shift to her left. As the blonde suspected, Billy had somehow rolled closer, and was now drooling all over his mouth and onto her. Thoroughly grossed out, she grunted and started to move away.

However as her body rose from the ground, the redhead reached out and grabbed her arm. Shocked, Mandy considered yelling at him, but realized he was still asleep. The idiot hung onto her like glue, and began to snuggle the arm he held like a teddy bear. Even in his sleep he was childish and unwilling to be left alone. Almost feeling bad for what she was about to do, Mandy rolled her eyes and positioned her free hand over his pompous nose. The flick she reprimanded him with was as forceful as a blow to the head from any normal person, one of which she was not.

"Wahh! Ow…Oh. Heya Mandy!" He smiled in his naïve little way, and looked at her expectantly. "Watchya doin' in my bed?"

Apparently he had already forgotten about the past two days. Which didn't come as a big surprise.

"Billy, we're not in your house. We're not even in the same universe anymore."

"Ha, Mandy, you're funny. What a joker!" He giggled to himself before scrunching his face up. "Wait. You never make jokes."

"And I don't plan on making anyone laugh anytime soon." She droned, and tugged her arm free from his grasp.

Billy also got up and stretched, before smacking his lips and scratching his stomach. Looking around, it finally clicked that no, he wasn't where he usually was in the morning. No puppy dog bed, no posters on the wall, and no Grim in the little basket beside him.

'Nope. Just me and the big ugly parakeet and Mandy. Geez, she doesn't look too happy. Heehee. Talking inside my brain is fun! No! Stay…focused. When have I ever seen her not feelin' all angry?'

"Hmm." He tapped his chin lightly, as if pondering over something. Mandy cocked an eyebrow and turned her back on him, ignoring his dumbness. There were more important matters to be taken care of. Like figuring out where they were to go, and how to lose Broxas for good.

The crystal clear waters had calmed their turbulent flow, which meant that the Jutanio would also be slowing down. Possibly revived and out hunting them down.

"Idiot."

"Eh?"

"Time to go." She stated eerily, without turning to face him. Her glare was still focused on the river.

"Der, why?"

"Because if we don't, that _thing _will find us, kill us, and I'll be stuck with you in the afterlife. We should head upstream-as far away as we can from that monster."

He nodded vigorously, causing his turf of scruffy red hair to fly around all over his head.

"That makes sense! I guess."

Mandy began to walk in the direction of the underbrush, pausing only to make sure he would follow behind her. A few minutes after staring blankly, Billy got the message and trotted up beside her.

"Hey Mandy?"

"No."

"Why don't you smile? I mean, there was that time you did, and the universe went all 'rubbblagarheeeshwooopshnagarr..'…"

He began to make various explosion noises and hand actions, in some odd portrayal of the crumbling threads of existence. He sprayed spit everywhere when doing so, and seemed heavily concentrated on his gestures and sound effects. So enthralled was he by his own game that he didn't even notice when he smacked into a tree or mass of leaves. Mandy, although in no mood for his antics (was she ever?) surprised herself. Not only did the question appeal to her, but she actually wanted to answer it.

"Do you want to know why I'm never happy, Billy?"

She grabbed his ear and pulled him beside her. He was still blowing raspberries to symbolize things blowing up, so she shot out a hand and grabbed his lips and tongue. Squeezing her hand tightly, she dared an answer from him. And, completely missing the tension that radiated from her, Billy grinned.

"Mmhhmmph!"

"Well. Let's make it easier for you to comprehend." Her voice turned stern. "All you need to do is make sure I don't get your hat. There are no other rules. Whatever you do, just keep me from stealing it."

"Daw, that's eas-y peez-eh."

The blonde closed her eyes and sneered.

"Look, look. Oh joy, there's a giant cupcake right behind you." Her tone lacked emotions of any kind as she pointed over his shoulder.

"Yay! WHERE?!"

Without thinking for even a second the idiot twirled around on his heel, mouth open wide and eyes searching for his tasty reward. Sighing, the girl plucked his cap from his turf of hair and held it close to her.

"Heyyyy…"

The redhead patted his noggin and turned back around.

"There's no cupcake. You cheated! Gimme back ma hat!"

Mandy rolled her eyes and resumed her brisk pace.

"Everyone was born a certain way, dumdum. You're stupid. I'm…cynical."

"I ain't stupid! I'm smart enough to know that you dropped it."

"What?"

"Derheeheehee!"

The blue foliage didn't prevent him from bending over and picking up his stolen article of clothing. In her haughtiness, Mandy hadn't realized that she had in fact lost her prize. Her face grew red as he continued to giggle, and immaturely stated that he had 'pwned' her.

"Haha. I acted smart, see! If I can be all 'interlligent,' I bet yous could be happy!"

Mandy brushed a few leaves from her face as the boy beside her scratched his neck. Giving a quick snarl, she hopped over a fallen log and replied.

"There's no way you could make me feel joy if I don't want to."

"I betcha theres is. Hmmm….I know!"

There was no way to prepare for what he did next.

The boy put one sneaker-clad foot in front of her, receiving a cold glare and balled fists. Even though she looked as angry as ever, he grabbed her shoulders and smiled at her sweetly. Billy pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her back and settling his head beside hers.

They stood like that for a long time, Mandy obviously shocked and Billy clueless to how intimate his actions truly were.

"Mama always said a hug makes ya happy." He spoke into her ear softly, with the greatest of innocence. The blonde felt her cheeks growing warm against his touch.

"…Billy. Let go. Remember the Number One Rule?

His grip slacked and he loosened his arms before pulling away. The redhead's face was beaming and tainted pink as he spoke triumphantly. He cleared his throat loudly, as if what he was going to say would be very, very important.

"Sure do! 'Never, ever touch yous. Ever."

"That's right. Besides, if you…kept doing _that _you'd reopen that cut on your back. Don't make any more sudden movements for a while." She clamped down on the feelings of concern she had for his well-being and waved him away.

"In fact, just walk-and don't do anything else. You're bothering me."

"Ok…"

The idiot hung his head sadly, depressed that he had not made her any less acerbic. Although, she hadn't hit or thrown a punch to him like she had before. Now that he 'thought' about it, she'd been doing a lot less of that lately. The dope lifted his shoulders after a minute, a content look once more on his face.

"I'll make sure that I-HOLY MOLY YER BLEEDIN'!"

Mandy was growing tired of his sudden outbreaks, but glanced over at him just to see exactly what he was ranting about now.

"There's blood all over you!"

He stabbed his finger at the front of her pink attire, to the dark blotch that stained the fabric. Hmm. She hadn't really noticed what the red liquid had done to her clothes when Billy was leaning on her. It would be hard to get out with regular detergent.

"Are you Ok? Speak to mes, Mandy. Speak!"

In his stupidity he completely missed the fact that it was not her own blood that stained the cloth, but his. His wild jabbing grew more intense by the moment, until he became lost in his own beliefs, and unable to see what was really happening.

"We gotta get you to a doctor, or nurse, or rhino-plasto-surgeon! Whatever it takes to make you better!"

His puny brain was short on possible solutions, and his hands rose to his face in confusion. When all hope seemed lost to him, Billy began to cry. Usually, he sobbed loudly and bawled out whatever emotions he felt, but this one was quiet. He wasn't tearing up because he was throwing a tantrum, or something was being stolen from him. The redhead's lip trembled as he gawked at the redness, and feared for his friend's safety. A single drop allowed itself to slip down his cheek and onto the ground.

"Billy. I'm not bleeding."

"Huh?"

"This is your blood. Not mine."

"Did I get all that nasty stuff all over you?"

She tilted her head slightly-her way of nodding.

"I'm sorry, Mandy. Sorry I made your nice pink stuff all red ands nasty."

As he spoke, water continued to trail down his neck, glistening and leaving wet marks all over his striped shirt. The blonde's eyebrows lifted for the second time.

"I'm not hurt, so quit your crying."

Billy sniffed and wiped away some snot that dangled from his nostrils.

"You sure you're all better?"

"Yes. Now stop the waterworks."

Without truly realizing what she was doing at first, the girl raised her hand and patted him on the back. The redhead's body froze on contact. She'd never been reassuring before. Mandy saw what she was doing, and snapped her arm back quickly, letting it casually rest at her side.

"Let's get going."

They walked on in silence for a time that seemed to stretch and reach beyond all that was possible. Neither was ready to say anything more, and the awkward situation left both feeling almost shy towards the other. Twigs cracked and bushes rustled around them, providing the only noise to accompany them. Billy glanced at his friend every so often, hoping that she would look back. But she was lost in her own state of solitude, and was left to her own thinking.

No matter how sentimental the moment had been, the blonde was determined not to let it deter her from continuing onwards. She would never allow it. Although certain thoughts and feelings kept creeping back into her mind from time to time…But she held them down, and tightly. Determined to forget what had happened just minutes earlier, Mandy looked at their surrounding. It appeared that, during their conversation, she and Billy had entered a part of the jungle that was not so clustered by trees. The plants too had begun to thin out, allowing more into her range of sight. Revealed to her was fact that they were very near to the volcano she had spotted earlier, when they had first arrived in the jungle.

The jungle which was surprisingly quiet…

"Something's wrong." She mumbled aloud. "Haven't seen any other living things since we got here."

The redhead heard her, and seized the chance to reply immediately.

"Ooh, I bets there'll be lots more dinosaurs to play with if we keep walkin' through all this junky leaf things. Uh-huh."

"Right. So move faster, and maybe we'll 'see' one."

"Yeah, just like that time at camp! Hee, that was the place where I learned that: Trees. Don't. Flush. Hey, can that guy come too?"

They were nearly at the base of the rocky mountain when a faint outline broke through the horizon, growing larger by the moment. It was black. It flew. And it projected fear.

"Not him again!" Mandy cried out angrily.

"Quick, quick! Make like a monkey and climb up this hilly thing!"

For once, Billy had come up with an idea faster than she had. The crags and crevices in the side of the volcano could provide them with a place to hide, and was their best option. It was certainly a better choice than waiting in the trees for Broxas to find them…


	15. The Hunted

**Disclaimer**: The characters are not mine. They've never been mine, and they never will be. Unless Maxwell Atoms says so, because he owns them.

**AN: **This is my longest chapter yet, eh. Which is funny, because I wrote it in a fairly short amount of time. Once I started, everything just kinda spilled out. So…yeah…On with chapter 15.

-KKBS

**Chapter 15**

"When alllllowed the chance, I will make sure I have the tactile pleasure of ripping them apart..." Broxas groused from the sky.

It certainly had not been an enjoyable trip back to the trees; he had awoken in pain only to find himself mere feet from the edge of a very steep waterfall. A drop from that height would no doubt have been fatal, supernatural being or otherwise. The rocks at the bottom would not have helped in any way. So, grudgingly, the fiend had had to paddle backwards, until far enough to open his water-logged wings. Not only did they still ache from the electrical shock that had coursed through them only hours before, but the tips were ragged and charred from the blow. His body was resistant against movement, but he forced himself to go air born. The only consolation he had was that, when he found them, the children would be slaughtered.

For hours he flapped and strained, occasionally entering a damp, fluffy cloud. How good it felt to have the wind rush against his face, cooling his burnt flesh and relaxing his tense mind. It was almost as if the very sky was his home, not the accursed ground below. The air rippled and opened with every beat of his wings, and it felt good.

Broxas was so lost in his own pleasure that he nearly missed a very vital signal. His keen senses detected life a few hundred feet underneath him. The demon closed his eyes and inhaled sharply, studying the information. When they reopened, they were wide with joy.

A crooked grin spread across the beak that served as a mouth, and he collected himself.

They were at the base of the large mountain not far in the distance, he was sure of it. His nose was practically filled with the stench they gave off.

-GABM-

The rocky volcano seemed to tower above the two, threatening to overpower them with sheer size. There was no other way around it without facing the demonic bird, though, so it would have to be climbed.

"Come on!"

Billy had already clambered up ahead of her. That came as no shock, though. After all, one of his favorite activities was scaling anything even remotely taller than him. Which included trees, piles of manure, houses, furniture, and football jocks. It usually didn't end so well.

"We gots to go Mandy! The bird guy's getting all bigger!"

Broxas' ominous form was growing larger in the distance, until so close that they could see the smirk on his face. The blonde struggled a few feet below the boy, unaccustomed to having to move so quickly almost directly upwards. It was like trying to climb over a brick wall.

"Mandy?!"

The redhead's hands and feet were stationed comfortably, as he had found a few indents that served as footholds. When he looked behind him, though, he almost fell off. His friend was still attempting to reach a ledge, and the bird was only a couple hundred meters away, at most.

"I gotcha!"

Billy released his grip, allowing him to drop down, scraping his knees and bumping his nose as he did so. It would have been much easier to simply climb backwards, but, unfortunately, his brain did not process that fast enough. Besides, there was no time to waste.

"What are you doing? Just…keep going up the damn mountain!" Mandy raged at him, gasping for breath.

She was horrified and unsettled upon being incapable of scaling the volcano herself. She hated having to rely on others-it made her feel weak. Nevertheless, the blonde let the boy latch onto her waist, pulling her up the sharp edges. His hands were hot and sticky, but she paid no mind. She could always get back at him later, when they were safe.

Tightening her grip on Billy's shoulders, Mandy worked in unison with him to find ledges and cracks that would help them ascend more rapidly. But by the time they had gotten the hang of it, Broxas had already caught up.

And they still had half of the way to go.

"Good-bye, pessssssts!"

The monster twirled above them, taunting the teens by blocking their only escape route. He opened his formidable talons wide, ready to snatch them up the same way a hawk would capture a pair of mice. No amount of brawn, though, could overpower brain.

Mandy pushed off with her left foot before the claws crashed down beside her, and the rest of the demon followed through. Moments earlier, she had caught a glimpse of a particularly large crag hanging from the mountainside. Her hand felt for the dusty ledge and held on, as the redhead's also searched for a hold. In unbelievable dexterity, the duo were again escalading towards the mouth of the volcano. What they would do once they got there sought to be resolved.

The fiend beside them shrieked in pain as his head rammed against the jagged rocks, tearing the tender flesh that had already gone through enough anxiety. His beak snapped at nothing but pebbles, and it took a few seconds for him to regain enough of his composure to push away and resume the chase. Around the bird's eye was a deep cut, obtained by contact with some of the more pointed rubble.

"GRRAAAHHHH!!!"

He unleashed a frustrated war-cry, and his annoyance rose greatly. It was time to end the charade, once and for all. His little brother was waiting.

'Thanks God this wasn't any larger." Mandy mused, as the rim came into view. They were so close. Only a few more minutes and they would be there….

"Hehehe!"

Broxas' laughter was low and guttural, and sent chills up the boy's spine. They had been on so many adventures and encountered so many foes. But none were as thoroughly evil as this one.

This time, his claws found something to hold onto; which so happened to be what was left of Billy's shirt. As he was still attached to the blonde, both were carried away from their would-be-haven, as they were only inches from it. The tangled bodies squirmed uneasily and extended arms towards the rocks, but it was no use. The sovereign talons pulled them apart, and flipped each around so that they could stare into the demon's face.

They struggled, while Broxas continued to chuckle. Greatly infuriated, Mandy spat into his bleeding eye, shutting him up for s second.

"Uggggh!"

But, no matter how agitating the she-devil was, Broxas could not help but smile. " Sssstupid kids. You were clossssse, but not-"

BRRRRRRRR-MMMMMM………

The air shook, and a deep rumble sounded from within the crust of the volcano. The final piece of the puzzle fell into place within the blonde's mind, and finally, she understood. The scarcity of living things in the area, the volcano, and now, the rumble.

"It's going to erupt." She stated blandly.

The demon looked at her face, at the mouth that was tilted neither upwards nor downwards, the heavyset eyebrows, slanting in a deep frown. No nose. But if she had one, it would be wrinkled in disgust.

Another roar bubbled from the bluff, reminding the three of how little time they had to wait and do nothing. The demon bird hesitated for a minute, still decisive as to how to escape from the lava if it did happen to burst. During his short judgment, Mandy pulled her arms free from the foot that held her, revealing an object hidden in her clenched fist-a stone, no larger than a football. But as sharp as a hook at the tip.

Her hand plunged ferociously onto the black scales, causing droplets of blood to squirt out drip down. For the second time, Broxas let go of them because the girl had sustained injury to his delicate foot.

BBRRRRRRRRRR-MMMMMM………

The teens tumbled backwards, without a soft surface to cushion their fall. Billy groaned as the tear in his back stung when rubbed across the dirt. They slipped and fell down a few feet, but were still close enough that a quick climb would enable them to reach the top.

TTTTSSEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRR!!!!

The fiend let out another cry of fury, his temples throbbing in chagrin and anger. He had lost his rewards one too many times. His feathered body turned to strike once more, before he noticed the uproar his shriek had caused.

"Aver-launch!" Billy screamed, staring at the crumbling peak.

"Quiet! You're not helping!" Mandy shot at him.

Broxas attempted to glide out of the way, but it was already too late. For once, his large body was his flaw, and one enormous wing was caught beneath a falling boulder. The demon roared and bellowed, cursing everything around him; the rocks, the volcano, his size, and most of all, the children.

The redhead and his companion pressed against the side of the mountain and covered their heads in a weak attempt to shelter themselves from the pebbles, ashes, and various minerals that spewed from above. Aside from the dust that made them choke and cough, tears welling in their eyes, they were safe. Huddling together, most crashed harmlessly around them. Their enemy was not so fortunate.

"Aaah!"

The bird cried out as a large rock smashed against his head, chipping a piece of his beak and causing blood to spray from his mouth. It knocked him off balance, and he swerved unsteadily in mid-air, allowing more to pound into him and weigh him down. Broken, the fiend flew into the volcano head-long, slumping against the side as he was continuously pummeled.

With what strength he had left, he shot out his wing, and grabbed onto the ledge Billy and Mandy were standing on with his bat-like fingers. The redhead took one look at the distraught demon, and could not help but pity him. Wheezing, he covered his nose and mouth with the sleeve of his shirt and took a few steps to the left. A small tree was nearly uprooted beside him, but still intact. The boy fumbled for a moment before bending it over, and signaling to Broxas.

"Billy!...what are doing?!" Her voice could barely be heard over the clashing and pounding, but it was still laced with fear and annoyance. She didn't want him to go anywhere near their foe, as he could kill him in an instant. Was he really stupid enough to think that he could help, and that letting the monster live was a good thing?

"Here, Mister Birdman! Grab onto this stick, uh…tree!"

The teen lowered the plant a few inches lower. It was nearly out of the ground, but, if careful enough, the demon could use it to hoist himself up. After all, being a bird and therefore having hollow bones, he was lighter than his size let on.

Broxas bared his crooked teeth and snarled. Glancing upwards, he saw a large boulder plummeting towards his face: one big enough to force him to let go, sealing his fate. He looked back at the innocent boy, who wanted nothing more than to save his life. So much falling around him and scarring his tissue…

The fiend deepened his frown and stared icily into the redhead.

"I would sssssooner die than allow myself to be helped by a hummman." He spat, as the rock collided with his chest.

He let out a small grunt of pain when his claws slipped across the cliff, before disappearing over the edge. His mind was blank as the ground rushed up to greet him, although he couldn't see it. All he could detect was a faint whistling in his ears that grew louder with each passing second, until his limbs went numb. By the time he hit the earth the demon was already almost dead. The boulder, pounding him into wicked spikes that jutted through his spine, only completed the task.

And suddenly, there was only one brother left.

Mandy forced herself to walk through the debris over to Billy, who could not understand why Broxas hadn't accepted his assistance. His mouth opened and closed involuntarily, like a fish, and he breathed heavily.

"It's…gone." He whispered into the deafening noise.

"We will be too, if we don't get off this volcano." The blonde replied, pulling him away from the ledge. He turned and bore into her eyes with sadness that she had never seen before. For a moment, she felt his grief; no matter how awful the being was, watching it die before their very eyes was still traumatizing. She sighed and bowed her head.

"Look away, Billy."

BBRRRRRRRMMMMMMMMM…..

It was louder now, and the ground beneath them quaked and shuddered furiously, sending both into a fit of jostling and swaying. Mandy spread her arms and legs in an effort to stay on-balance, but Billy was not as astute. His arms waved wildly as his foot slipped across the edge and eyebrows shot up in shock and panic. The girl saw this and ran over to him, batting away the small chunks of debris that flew into her mouth and stuck to her eyelashes.

The redhead gave a final totter before his legs buckled beneath him, sending him crashing to his knees. His head shot back and forth, searching for something to hold onto, but there was nothing. Fingernails resorted to scraping along the dirt, scrabbling to find a hold as his torso slid further. The force of the falling rocks seemed to be pulling him down, with such power that he could not hope to fight it. By the time she had reached him, only his oversized nose was in view, as well as his arms.

A quick gasp, and he had let go completely, with nothing left but the air itself to claw at.

Almost comically, he grabbed and grazed at the nothingness, his legs kicking out behind him.

"Maaaanndyyyyy!"

The idiot closed his eyes and awaited the rush of earth that would kill him almost instantly.

'I'll be all squashed likes a pancake, with ooey gooey syrup all over mes…'

But there came no violent end. When he finally worked up the nerve to open his eyes and see what had prolonged his fall, the redhead found himself staring at a pair of thick, furrowed eyebrows. The blonde hair that was matted against her forehead dripped with perspiration from the strain. It took a moment, but he realized that his right hand was being squeezed by vice-like fingers.

"Help me, you buffoon!"

Her words jolted through him, awakening the common sense that usually ay dormant under folds of delirious happiness. Heaving and breathing heavily, his sneakers helped him clamber up the steep side, while Mandy pulled him up and onto flat ground. Both were almost relieved when his stomach made it back over, before Billy nearly screamed aloud again.

"Behind yous! The volcano's shooting out chili sauce! I don't like chili sauce! It tastes AWFUL!"

The girl looked over her shoulder and nearly fainted, despite her usual calmness and fortitude in the face of danger.

The volcano was erupting.

Molten lava streamed from its mouth, melting almost everything it touched, or dragging it into its wake. Few of the frail trees left scattered along the mountainside survived the onrush as it ate everything in its path. Black smoke also billowed out the rim, fogging the air and increasing the chokehold on the teens.

Death above, and death below. Which to choose? It was hard to decide.

Mandy, albeit brave, was no fool, and knew that there was no way to avoid the bubbling liquid. But perhaps if they jumped…

He had just finished clambering back onto the ledge when the blonde tackled Billy, pushing them both head over heels as the lava continued to rush at them, not slowing down for anything. The world was a blur as both tumbled head over heels, twisting and turning randomly, and almost making them throw up. But Mandy had planned her actions carefully. Because she had run full-speed before contact, enough energy had been worked up to propel them outwards before dropping down. They were still going to hit something, that was inevitable, but instead of landing on the acuate rocks, they would settle in the trees. Not soft, but better.

The blonde and redhead began to descend on a more vertical angle, into the bush and leaves. As she whipped by, the girl was almost certain she saw a black figure crushed beneath a boulder, its limbs splayed out lifelessly…

**AN: **Well. I guess that would kind of count as suicide, wouldn't it. (What Broxas did, I mean.) Wait, I don't have to change the rating from T to M because of it, right? RIGHT? Heh. No pressure. I'm just really tense right now. :P


	16. The Goddess Escapes

**Disclaimer**: The characters are not mine. They've never been mine, and they never will be. Unless Maxwell Atoms says so, because he owns them.

**AN: **Hmm. Well, while writing this I realized just how weird and bizarre and craz-eh the plot has gotten. Hooray!

On with Chapter 16,

-KKBS

**Chapter 16**

Decarabia weaved his way in and out of the troops, inspecting that each was fitted with a helmet and some form of weaponry, be it sword or stone. None were his equal in his eyes, yet all were on the same plain of unimportance. The valley that served as their base darkened the area, as the melancholy shade that lined the sides did not project light very well. It only added to the mood and the impure aura that wafted through the very air.

"Yooooou there!" The younger brother commanded a large swine, plated with armor and carrying a crudely shaped club. "Watch and make sssssure that not a single creature stepsssss out of line while I am gone!" He hissed menacingly, and the pig gave a clumsy salute.

"R-ight aw-w-ay." It grunted, squealing and snuffling as it spoke.

The fiend gave a quick glance over his shoulder before spreading his wings and taking off, watching as the minions below him looked up and pointed.

He sighed; it wasn't as if that were the first time they had seen him gain altitude. And yet, the dumb beasts were still fascinated by anything that they themselves could not achieve. It was by this greed and want for more than they needed that they had become so easy to manipulate.

The bird dipped down, nearing the crevice that held his prisoners. There was Death, who he knew would instantly be eradicated if he tried to escape, and Persephone, who was in such a powerless state that, if she dared leave the cell, would be slaughtered.

He outstretched his talons, daintily landing inside the cavern whilst barely making a noise. Decarabia did not truly want to be there, not when his army was left unattended, but he was growing impatient. His knowledge of Persephone's original plan was rather vague, and many crucial details were unknown.

Most importantly of which was the time it would take for the power she had stored up to be ready for use. He was unaware that the children possessed the hourglass that counted down the 4 days it would take, 3 of which were already gone. Or he might have slain them much faster in order to obtain it.

"Hellloooo." He said warmly. "I need you assisssstance for something, wench."

Grim and the Goddess were slouched in the very back of the force field, only raising their heads upon hearing his voice to look and see who had come into their cell. The demon came as close to the boundaries as he could. Unsure of what would happen if he stepped inside, he remained a few feet back.

"_Friend,_ I need you to telllllll me how long it will take until Death is erased, and I cannnnn give my troops the signal to ssssstart siege on the Underworld a few hours in advance." He emphasized the word 'friend' for no other reason than out of spite, and gazed hungrily at the brunette.

She seemed to think for a moment, deciding whether or not to help.

"There's no point in resisting now," she mumbled, her lips parting only slightly to allow a weary sigh to escape through.

"Yessssss." Decarabia agreed quickly. "Why try to ssssstop the unstoppable?"

Grim looked from the fiend to the Goddess, who had not spoken about her plans or intentions since she had joined him in confinement. He did know, however, how long it would take until he vanished. That was what the hourglass was for. And once he was gone, the power stored for many a millennia would be great enough to defeat those in the Underoworld, confining them in a state between Life and Death. It would be like an eternal purgatory under the rule of the demon.

"It will take-"

"Quiet, woman!" He hissed, and clasped a bony hand to her lips.

Persephone screamed against his palm and scraped at his arm. But not matter how uncomfortable things got, he would not let go. Nothing good would come of giving up.

"I don't know about you mon, but I ain't gonna tell me enemy something they wanna know. How much sense does dat really make?"

The brunette ceased her yelling, quieting down as his words sunk in. The Reaper removed his arm gently, giving the lady room to breathe again. He was secretly grateful that her supernatural abilities had been lost. If she were at her fullest, a single touch of her peach skin would have been fatal.

The Goddess' eyes seemed to stare into his very soul as she glanced upwards. Her final decision was still unclear.

"Huh?!"

Grim and Persephone's heads whirled to the side as Decarabia gave startled cry.

"No….No! NO!"

He clawed at his head, pounding against the scales and nearly tipping over. The captives looked on, curious to see what had set him off.

"Hisssss life energy? Gone!? Arggh…The children are ALIVE?!"

Using the same sense he had used to smell the teens out, he detected that they were still well. But his brother's scent was not present. That could only mean one thing.

"HE'SSSSS DEAD!?"

The demon continued to scream and shout, flapping uncontrollably and wheezing out curses.

Grim gasped, although he had no lungs to breathe with. There was no doubt about it-he had heard correctly. Billy and Mandy were not deceased, as he had thought.

"GRAHH!"

The bird shrieked again, this time in agony. The pain of his brother's loss was unbelievable, and yet he could not fully bring himself to accept the gruesome fact. He had to see it for himself. And then he would take care of the ones responsible.

"MAKE SURE THEY DO NOT ESSSSSCAPE!"

His demonic voice was filled with rage as he directed his order to the monsters outside the entrance to the crevice. He knew they had heard him. There was no way they couldn't have. It so happened that Sherbert was one of them…

Decarabia wrapped himself in his purple aura, eyes filled with malice and the need for revenge. He stole a baleful glare at his prisoners, and disappeared into the realm between universes.

"What was dat all about?"

"Broxas." Persephone responded. "His kin. I may be weak, but I can feel it. One of the brothers is gone."

The skeleton mentally hit himself for not realizing that as well. After all, he was the bringer of Death, and was supposed to know when the souls were ready to be harvested.

"Dis really is confusin'."

"I know."

They shared a silent moment again, before Persephone pulled away. Grim had nearly forgotten that he still had a firm grip on her.

"I must go."

"What? Go where?"

The brunette looked into his eye sockets, straining to explain.

"I have to make this right. It's my duty, after all, as this whole mess is my fault. He left the scythe unattended."

"No way, mon. You'd be killed before you get away, what with dose monsters roamin' around out dere. I won't allow it."

"I must! This may be our only chance to get out!"

"No! De list of spirits I'm supposed to have collected by now's already a mile high: I don't wanna add another name to it. And definitely not yours."

The Goddess looked shocked, and Grim wondered why he had said that. It didn't matter.

"I'm sorry. I promise to free you when I get back."

A concerned gaze was given, before the Goddess ran for the exit. Her face twitched a bit as she hit the force field, as it was as cold as ice. But she made it through, the Reaper pleading behind her to come back.

She knew and feared the fact that alone she wouldn't get very far. But she had to try.

The scythe, as of her assumption, would still be near the entrance of the crevice. Decarabia had no idea how to use it, nor did he care. It was not important in achieving domination, although it was considered a prize. It could, however, prove useful if used in the correct way; she had conjured the wall that prevented Death from leaving, and it was by her hand that it could fall. If only she could use the powers the blade wielded.

Persephone's skirt dragged across the ground and her bare feet flew to the opposite side of the room. Seeing that she had no intention of returning, Grim stopped his calls. He didn't want to draw attention to her, and foil the only hope he had of escaping.

One day left…

The brunette stopped near the opening, careful not to allow the guards to see her. She gaped at the mass of beasts spread out in front of her. It was incredible just how many she had gotten to follow her in the first place. Equally amazing was the fact that none of them cared when the demon took over. All but one.

Her slender arms trembled as she searched for the key, the way out of the hellish realm. She spotted it perched atop a ledge a few meters away, shimmering despite the lack of light. There was no other way to get it than to go right out into the open, and into the mercy of the army.

"M'Lady."

Persephone froze; had she been caught?

"What are you doing here? You'll be killed."

Sherbert, bless his ugly heart, appeared when she turned around. The Goddess let out a sigh of relief and put a hand to her chest.

"Thank goodness it's you, my friend. I missed you."

She patted the giant toad on the head, grateful to have an accomplice. His warty skin was rough to the touch, but comforting all the same.

"Do you think you can get that scythe? Over there, on the ledge? I need it, as I am sure you're aware of."

The amphibian squinted, as his eyesight was very poor, before the object came into focus.

"Of course." He croaked, happy to do anything within his power to help. "I trust you know what you're doing."

His hind legs bunched in and sprang out, carrying him through the air quicker than expected. Webbed hands snatched at the item, which Decarabia had so carelessly left unattended. He thought that no one could reach, but he hadn't counted on the toad.

However, the valley was steep, and the cliff was unstable.

"Ahhhh!"

Sherbert stumbled and lost his footing, loosening a few rocks as his feet scraped across the side. Many heads turned to the source of the commotion, frowning and growling as they realized what was happening.

"Oy! The prisnas are escapin'!"

A canine that closely resembled a dingo yelled and pointed in the direction of the two.

"Get them!"

His calls alerted more of the monsters, some of whom roared in anger, while others snickered at the toad and lady. Like a swarm of mindless bees they grouped together, forming a huge crowd that seemed to stretch across the entire gorge.

"Master said not to let them escape!"

"Kill!"

"Charge at them! Trample, stomp, murder!"

Various voices shouted on top of each other, all with the same goal in mind: they were not to be allowed to run away.

"Go, m'lady! Up the hill!"

"I can't! Not without you and Grim!"

Sherbert gazed into her eyes, looking downcast and saddened by what he was about to do.

"If they catch you, there'll be no hope for any of us." He explained quietly.

"But I promised Grim…"

"Forgive me." He stated humbly.

Persephone uttered a short squeak as the servant grabbed her arm roughly, squeezing until it turned nearly purple. His slimy hands held on with unexpected ferocity, and he shifted his weight to one side. He swung around once, then, as easily as one would throw a rag doll, he had flung the Goddess up the valley's side.

It was a good thing it wasn't very steep, and that stalagmites provided something to hold onto, or she might have slipped back down. The scythe was still clenched in her fist as she landed on her shoulder, crying out upon impact.

Sherbert waited below, barely blinking as the crowd of warriors moved closer towards him, waving their weaponry blindly. There would be no escape for him.

"Good luck, and good speed." He said over his shoulder at his former master.

The lady looked down at the scythe, then at her friend. The friend who was sacrificing his life for her. And, although no one was near enough to hear her, she thanked him.

"One last act of gratitude."

She wasn't very familiar with the blade's magical abilities, although she did know how to conjure a few spells. Aiming its sharp tip down into the mass of enemies, she took a deep breath and focused on what she wanted to do.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!

The force of the energy that erupted from the shiny object knocked her onto her back, where she watched the devastation unfold before her.

The monsters in the front of the crowd fell over and writhed, screaming as a white light streamed through them. Sherbert felt sick watching them wriggle like worms, before their bodies fell limp.

Persephone was also not feeling well. She had done her small part, helped him in what way she could, and she despised herself for doing it. Killing was not an easy matter for her. Although, in such a situation she would have agreed to terminate them, but there were just too many. No matter how precise the blade was, it would not be able to get rid of all of them before they reached her.

There was nothing more she could do as another wave of beasts collided with the toad, who bit and kicked with everything he had, fending them off for as long as he could.

The Goddess lifted the scythe once more, aware that nothing else could be done without the risk of hitting him.

'The children…."

The thought snaked its way into her mind before she had the chance to push it away. And, without warning, another streak of electricity came from the tip. This one did not hit anything, though, and instead gave off a painful flash.

"What was that…?"

The horde of creatures were already batting their way past Sherbert, quickly losing interest in the lack of effort it took to take him down. They rushed past his form, nearing the Goddess and howling at their premature victory.

Hastily, she held the scythe out at arm's length, concentrated, and willingly allowed the cackle of electricity to send her away, far from danger. Even after she was gone, the army stampeded to where she had last stood, trying to sniff Persephone out and follower her. There was no trace of the Goddess, though, and they were left to wade on their own confusion and anger.

"Oy! Wadda we do now then, mates?"

**AN: **In case you didn't catch it, the dingo's Australian. I can only hope I made it painfully obvious, but you never know.


	17. Innocent Yet Confused

**Disclaimer: **These characters are not mine. They never have been, and they never will be. Unless Maxwell Atoms says so, because he owns them. I do, however, reserve the rights for a few characters. And if you don't know who they are by now, what're you doing this far into the story?!

**AN: **This is sort of an in-between chapter. It doesn't add much to the plot, but it provides more tension-relief stuff. Yadda yadda yadda.

On with chapter 17!

-KKBS

**Chapter 17**

If anyone had been around to see them, Mandy almost would have felt ridiculous, plummeting through the sky and waving her arms like a fish out of water.

Almost, but not quite.

In reality, she didn't really give a damn what anyone else would have said or though. Still, as she continued to descend, the wind whipping in her face and making her eyes water, she couldn't help but think she looked silly. There was a more important matter at the moment, though, so she didn't dwell on it for very long. Her focus would be put to better use trying to find a way to land without being killed. Or perhaps figuring out how to shut Billy up.

"Can't…breathe…Airtoothin! We 're likes flying oreo-planes!"

His annoying laughter filled the sky, followed by a scream.

"AAAAAAAAAH! We're FALLING!"

He pointed downwards at the incoming landscape, forgetting for a moment where he was and how he had gotten there. The idiot grabbed at the air, trying to pull himself back up onto a nonexistent ledge. Despite their peril, Mandy found it appropriate to roll her eyes and scoff at his childish antics.

"Quit moving around, Billy! You're just drifting farther away from me."

Still, it wouldn't really matter whether or not he was close to her when they contacted with the ground below. She just wanted to make sure he was near her, and that he didn't get himself lost or hurt again. The blonde winced. Even though he did not, she understood that the landing would be positively brutal to the injury in his back, and probably result in it reopening.

"I don't want to have to clean up the mess again." She mumbled.

"Mandy! The plants are gonna eat us!"

There was barely time to think about it before they were both surrounded by the foliage. No matter which way the teens turned, there seemed to be more and more of it, sometimes creating a soft cushion, and sometimes scraping them with prickles and bark. Mandy reached out every few moments, trying to grip onto a vine or dig her nails into the trunk of a tree. There was no use, though, and resistance against falling was futile. The blonde only managed to slow down, and caught a glimpse of the boy whizzing past her, arms and legs spread out as if he was belly-flopping.

His head turned as he flew past her, into the middle of the plants. He mouthed a few word she couldn't hear, craning his neck around to try and get her to hear him. When doing so he managed to move his body upright, and stop his descent. In a rather painful way.

"OWWW!"

His legs caught a particularly thick tree branch, bringing him to an immediate stop. His back may have been safe, but the same could not be said for his crotch. The redhead's eyes popped out farther than one would think possible, and his face scrunched up into a tight expression of agony. Teeth gritted and fists clenched as the pain multiplied with each second.

"It…burns..."

He whimpered, much to Mandy's amusement. It wasn't enough to make to cold-hearted woman laugh, but enough to begin to chisel away at the stone lock that kept her emotions secret. Her lips curled upwards ever so slightly.

The blonde was still slipping, although slowly, and managed to halt completely by extending one arm over to him and grabbing the end of the branch. Billy was still gasping, and one eye was beginning to twitch when she managed to clamber halfway up. The green leaves and twigs near the edge slapped at her cheeks, further infuriating her. For a moment, she reconsidered trying to reach Billy all. She'd just have to keep putting up with him stupid behavior.

Nevertheless, the girl kept searching for something secure to hold onto. Seeing this, the injured redhead sat up straight and looped one of his arms into hers, fully lifting her up beside him. Mandy wanted to do it herself, but was in no position to object. Besides, his assistance was almost never turned down. Although she wasn't sure why.

"Guess you took a beating, huh?"

The redhead nodded at her, now biting his lip in an effort not to wail again. After a few moments, though, his muscles relaxed, and the pain began to fade away. That was one of his strong points; no matter how bad a wound or bruise may seem, he could forget about it easily enough.

Mandy crossed her legs and leaned into the tree trunk, putting her arms behind her head. Her eyes closed, and she sighed heavily.

"Don't worry. The lava won't reach this area if it keeps moving in the same direction and isn't somehow guided towards us."

The redhead gaped for a minute. Although her eyes were closed, she had been able to tell exactly what he was thinking about and what his concern was. What really scared him, though, was how calm she as when she said so. As if a boiling river of death was a casual topic. How did she know, anyways? After all, she too had been falling away from it only moments before.

"Must be onea them gyp-sy ladies that can read your mind. For only ten dollars and fifty cents." He mumbled.

Her face remained in a sneer, and she muttered something under her breath.

"You don't like this adventure too much, huh?"

Billy had seen that look before, of utter annoyance and frustration. He also knew that if he was the one to cause it, he should stay away. But, as this case for once did not revolve around him, the teen found it acceptable to ask. After all, if there was an opportunity to relieve the tension, he would surely take it.

Mandy had only just begun to settle down and start sorting things out before he asked the stupid question. Still, she decided to answer it.

One eye opened quickly, although menacingly.

"This whole escapade has been one big load of bullsh-"

"-It hasn't really been that bad, you know." He interrupted. "Not since you're here, nu-uh. Things are never bad as long as you do 'ems too."

Now both eyes were wide open, trying to get Billy's attention and warn him to stop before he went too far. But, of course, he wasn't paying much attention.

"I mean, we've had to run away from clones, and beavers, and dinosaurs, and bird things, and giant rubber ducks…"

"We haven't come across any rubber ducks, stupid."

"Oh yeahs. I must have imagined that part. Derheehee."

He paused to giggle.

"But even if we had, it wouldn't have been so lousy 'cause you're here. And that's all that matters. Kind of like a video game filled with pie. Don't forget about the pie. And secret levels. And lions on tricycles."

Now the blonde was beginning to get worried. In his own stupid way, he was complimenting her. Just in a far more personal way than she would have liked to hear.

Billy removed his hat for a moment and scratched the back of his head.

"…Thank you."

It was his turn to be shocked and confused.

"Whadju say?"

"If you didn't hear it the first time, I'm not repeating it."

"Oh."

The redhead let his legs dangle over the branch, swaying them back and forth as he did so. The rest of the forest seemed to stretch out in front of him, expanding westward and opening up a realm of possible hiding paces he could use. Or shrubs for a pit stop. Even the thought sent him into a fit of chuckling, much to Mandy's disturbance.

"Know what's always fun when you have nothing to do? Poetry! I still remember some of the stuff Lord Byron taught me."

It was a familiar name for the girl, and she recalled that day well. How could she forget? That was the day he…

"Ooh, I can says a poem right now! Eh-hem: A swallow cast not blah blah blahbitty…for thine intelligence can be compared to that of a, uh, common banana?"

She could practically see the sparks and flames fizzling from his brain. It was far too much work for one so small.

"So? Did you likes it?"

"I'm sure Lord Byron didn't show you that one."

"Nope. I made it up all by myself! Someday I know I'll be a famous poet too, with a snazzy sports car, and a Hummer, and a Limo."

"Don't indulge yourself in such preposterous fantasies."

"Huh? Speaks English!"

"That _was _English, dough head."

"Well, speaks the easy kind of English."

Billy waved his arms around, trying to show Mandy how much this was weighing on his mind. In his act of stupidity, his body was cast forward, and his hindquarters began to slip from the branch. He was about to holler before a firm hand was pressed against his chest, pushing him back up and onto the bark.

"Don't fall." She commented icily.

The boy grinned and nodded his head soundly. The blonde returned to her leisurely position, closing her eyes and thinking about what they were going to do. They had gotten away from the creature-Broxas, if she had heard correctly- but now what? The hourglass still in the pocket of her pink outfit had only one fourth of the sand left. What would happen when it was all gone? How would they get back to Grim?

Billy gazed at her, taking advantage of the fact that her eyes were closed and she couldn't see him stare. He looked from her hair to her chin, noticing some things he hadn't before. Since, at any other time, she would have killed him on the spot.

"Booty-ful." He let escape from his lips. "Huh?!"

As soon as he had, his hands were brought to his mouth. He wanted to pull the words back into his throat, but there was no way to do so. They were already out.

"What?"

She was snapped out of her thoughts almost immediately, and questioned the boy.

"This scenery stuff is really booty-ful, isn't it?" He forced a laugh and pulled on his shirt collar nervously. Thank goodness a moment of intelligence had come when it did, or else he would have been as good as dead. Or so he assumed.

Mandy raised an eyebrow, but seemed to except his pathetic excuse.

"Not really."

In fact, it was quite pretty. The sun was low over the horizon, threatening them with another night of uncomfortable sleep. But the oranges and yellows, all melded together in an array of vibrant colors, was enough to pick up even the lowest of souls.

Billy yawned and stretched his arms, as if he were back home, sitting on the couch. Without realizing it, he had moved closer to his fixated friend.

"Watcha lookin' at?"

Her gaze trailed away from the warm skies, inviting his smiling face into her vision.

"At an idiot."

"You were lookin' at me?"

Not for the first time, he misinterpreted her hurtful statement. Instead, he took it as saying something sweet, something Mandy rarely-no, **never**-did. And so he smiled.

"You're my best friend, Mandy."

It was random and uncalled for, although she shouldn't have been surprised. Almost everything Billy said or did was unexpected and impulsive. But this, and at such a moment, felt different.

"And you'll always be my best friend. An even better best friend than that turkey sandwich I tried to talk to. He was a real hater, mmhmm."

The redhead leaned closer to her face, still grinning. He wasn't sure what exactly it was that was making him feel all pleasant inside, but he liked it.

"You pea brain."

Their faces were only inches away now, and the blonde felt something flutter inside her chest.

"Billy…"

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

A flash of white sliced through their sight, rendering both partially blind a few seconds. They felt the sensation of traveling through space and time once more, an exhausting feeling that drained what little energy they both had. The teens were flung from the soothing environment, and cast into one completely different.

"What the heck was that freak-blast?!"

Billy's irises were dull, and gave off no sign of life. He couldn't see anything, but that didn't frazzle him too much.

"This dump needs a new light bulb. 40 watts, I'll say. Or maybe there's a problem with the circuit. Or the circulatory system. Hehe. That's a big word."

If she could have seen him, Mandy almost certainly would have taken him out. But, lucky for him, she couldn't see anymore than he could. Blinking furiously, she attempted to speed up the process of regaining her vision, but it did little good.

"Hey! Maybe it was Grim and his magical stick of fantastic super-cool powers that brought us here."

"I doubt it was Grim, Billy." The blonde replied, vision turning from black to a mottled gray. Their new setting was already looking far less inviting, though she could not see it properly.

"But it may have been someone else…."

**AN: **Yes, it ties in with what Persephone did. Shoot me if it sounds crappy.

Haha. I ruined what may have been a rather 'intimate' moment by zapping them into some other living Hell. I'm so evil. But I get eviler than that…Hush hush. No spoilers. ;)


	18. Three Goals, One Path

**Disclaimer: **These characters are not mine. They never have been, and they never will be. Unless Maxwell Atoms says so, because he owns them. I do, however, reserve the rights for a few characters. And if you don't know who they are by now, what're you doing this far into the story?!

**AN: **A quick thanks to Michael for helping supply dialogue in the last chapter. You'd better be reading this, Mikey. 

As for this one…well, the chapter title's weird. I hope you'll understand it better once you read this piece, but maybe not. :p

As always: On with chapter 18!

-KKBS

**Chapter 18**

"Who else would wanna take us to this pile of crud?" Billy retorted, his voice filled with confusion.

"I don't know. All I can say for now is don't get too comfortable. We may have to move quickly."

"It's dark."

"No kidding."

Billy's vision began to return as well, and he could make out the faint outline of a stone wall. He turned to his right, and another wall popped up. To the left again, and there was the same. And the right. He kept turning back and forth until something snapped, and he pulled at his hair, ripping out a few clumps of it.

"Mandy! We is trapped!"

In his idiocy the redhead hadn't noticed that he was simply staring at the same two walls every time, and was convinced that he and the blonde were in some sort of enclosed cube.

"Over there, you dolt."

The frustrated teen walked over and grabbed his shoulders, spinning him in the direction of a bright light. Blinking his eyes, the redhead started to realize what exactly it was he was looking at.

"Wow. We're in heck."

"Hell."

"Sshh, shhh! Don't say that bad word!"

Mandy dug her nails into his collarbone, making him yelp in pain and shock. He squirmed pathetically, but knew better than to try to hard to resist what was coming to him anyways. After a few seconds she let go, satisfied and sure that he had learned his lesson never to shush her again.

"And if we're in Hell-"

"Shhh!"

She realized there was no point even in trying. So his annoying actions were brushed away.

"-The we'd better get out of here quickly."

Now their sight was fully regained, and they were able to see exactly where they were. As expected, the landscape was colored with dark reds, blacks, and grays. From the ceiling of the cavern-like world were stalactites, and from the bottom rose the 'mites. It was a gloomy place; shadows crept up every rock and crevice, threatening to jump out and strike at any moment. Everything looked like it had been stained with blood-for that was the shade of red that blanketed the cave- and, no matter how hard she tried, Mandy could not shake of the feeling of evil that slithered into her very mind and soul. Pure, unadulterated, and terrifyingly so. Just like nearly everything else they had encountered.

But this seemed stronger, somehow.

What surprised both teens most, however, was the fact that it was empty. Most trips to the Underworld were filled with all sorts of supernatural creatures, bustling and hurrying about their business as if the two mortals and their skeleton companion were nothing out of the ordinary. And, in that place of strange oddities and beings, they really weren't.

But now there was no one.

"Heeeeeeeeey," Billy stretched out the word as long as he could, and obnoxiously waved his hand in Mandy's face. "watcha starin' at?"

The frightening atmosphere had immediately caught the blonde's attention, and she was fixed in almost a trance at its terrible beauty.

"Nothing."

"Yes you were. I saw with my own two eyes-ah. I have eyes, ya know."

"I said, nothing." Her tone grew dangerously irritated, but Billy managed to remain clueless just the same.

"I bets you're scared of this place! Well, don't worry, I'll make sure nothing bad happens."

He closed his eyes and proudly stuck a thumb into his chest, indicating that he was responsible enough to take care of things. Which was hardly the case.

'He can't be serious…' Mandy mumbled under her breath.

But, knowing the redhead better than anyone, he almost definitely was.

"You should know better than to even _think_ I'm frightened."

"Rule number 154, I knows it. But this time I think it's true."

The girl stared at him through the corner of her eye, scowling furiously. The idiot still stood behind her, expecting a reply. Her fist connecting with his nose was the response.

"OOWW! Heys!"

"Be grateful I'm in no mood to waste my energy on you."

Mandy began to walk towards a tunnel opening, searching for something they could relate to, or a recognizable landmark. She left the redhead behind to rub his injured nose and whine. She paused, though, when no whimpering or snuffling was heard. Cautiously, she turned around to make sure nothing had happened.

"What…"

Her eyebrows nearly jumped off her face as Billy crouched on front of her, arms spread wide. In one swift motion he leapt on her, grabbing her shoulders and sending both of them crashing to the ground. The tackle brought back a few memories of past fights, when they were both much younger.

"Billy! What are you doing?! GET OFF!"

"Not until you says you're scared!" He stated determinately.

The blonde, although on her back, still had the upper hand. She always did. Before he could demand anything else, she kneed him in the stomach, sending stars dancing before his face. Holding his middle, the redhead rolled across the ground and squatted next to her.

Their tumble had moved them quite a ways away, and Mandy began to feel the ground begin to steep suddenly. It was if they were nearing some sort of hill…

"Why are you so concerned?"

"I'm not concerned! I'm just worried about something, that's all." He wheezed. "At least, I'm pretty sure it's worry. Either that I ate too many cheese sticks again. You know what happened the last time I did that, whoo boy-wouldn't stop coming out both ends of the station wagon."

"What are you talking about now?"

"There's a little voice in my head that says you're lying. And I always listen to little voices. Even though I've never heard one before. You're scared! You don't gots to lie to me-I'm your best friend. And I never lie to you. Tell me anything! 'Cept that girly stuff I heard someone say you gets every month, don't say nothin' bouts that…"

Mandy rose from the ground and looked him in the eye. There was an intelligence, a light that she'd never seen before. So genuine was the expression on his face she couldn't help but believe what he was babbling about was pure of mind.

"Anything."

He smiled at her warmly, and she hated him for it. For some reason, it seemed so much more difficult to unleash the cruelty she would have liked to when he did that.

There was no denying it: she was frightened for their safety. Her own. And his.

He took her hand in his, patting it a bit and trying his best to get her to agree.

"Fine, then. I am remotely unsettled by the fact that I don't know where we are, where to go, and what to do next. And don't you ever repeat it."

She curled and uncurled her free fingers in emphasis, threatening the boy with another blow to the head should he dare say anything.

"I knew you'd!...No wait, I didn't. Really?" Billy scratched his head, absorbing what she'd just honestly and truthfully told him.

"Yes. Now remove your hand from mine before I'm forced to cut yours off."

The redhead obeyed happily, stepping back as he let go of her.

"Hey-do you hears that?"

"I'm pretty sure your little 'voices' aren't talking in my head, Billy."

"No, something else. These ones are really in my ears, not my brain."

Displeased as she was, the blonde strained to catch a whisper, call, anything that would signify another presence. For a moment nothing was audible, before a low mumble could be heard near the bottom of the valley. Looking further down, a few dozen beasts could be seen lining the bottom edge of the hill.

"Good. Seems as though we've found someone who'll help us."

"Help us what?"

Billy began to advance towards her, about to warn the blonde that she should be careful, for boy did **he** ever know how painful it was to fall off a hill.

CRACK!

Then he froze.

His normally bright and cheery eyes went dim again, the light gone from them completely. The smile on his face evaporated, and his body pitched forward. Too surprised to call out, Mandy found herself beneath the weight of the young man's body. And although he was neither overweight nor muscular in any way, he was heavy enough that she couldn't stop him from falling on her.

A brief glance at what was behind him before his bloody shirt covered her face, and she could see a silky piece of fabric billowing about, though there was no wind, and the bottom of a large black staff. Brown locks of hair was the last thing she saw before her head smacked against a stalagmite, knocking her unconscious.

"How I wish this wasn't necessary…"

-GABM-

_No matter where we may be,_

_Away from home:_

_Life. Death. _

_Carry on._

Decarabia gazed at his brother's form, perched atop a nearby boulder. In his youth, the short, simple poem had always been meaningless. His brother, however, insisted on repeating it every day. Whether he was alone or with the blue-eyed fiend was not important; there would always be a time of day, no matter how tedious it seemed. And no one could ever make him think otherwise. The demon could recall various instances when his elder had tried to explain it to him, but, being an intolerant child, had never paid attention.

"_It's like a mantra, only a bit longer than mossssssst. When you figure out what it meansssss, it willl do you good."_

"_It soundssss cheesy. YOU sound cheesy."_

Finally, after years of watching in bewilderment and listening until it became routine, Decarabia understood. The death of a loved one can sometimes stimulate thoughts and interests that would otherwise have remained dormant.

The bird shivered slightly as a gust of icy wind blew across him, ruffling the feathers he had been preening for quite some time, while reminiscing. Remembering all that had been said and done, mourning, but elated all the same.

"I know nowwww what you meant."

He hadn't touched the stone that now served as Broxas' tomb, for it was something far too sacred to handle himself. The black limbs that displayed his awful fate, topped with the lava that streamed in the background and the stench of humans-two of them-had given him a rough guess at what had happened. And it could be blamed on the children, although they were not truly at fault.

"My epiphanyyyy isss one I will not regrettt…"

He would continue with the work he and his kin had started, despite his disappearance. Death was no factor when it came to victory. Life was only a state of being. The lesson Broxas had taught him would remain forever.

The power Persephone had separated herself from was by itself now, festering, waiting for someone to come along and use it. Originally, they were going to divide the energy, equally and fairly, but now all could be used on himself. And the results would be devastatingly potent. Enough so that he himself could raise someone from the dead. The demon smiled inwardly.

It was time to go back now. There was work to be done, an army to command, and an Underworld to conquer. And a Goddess to do away with, now that he had no more use for her. So, stretching his cramped wings and giving his dew-covered body a shake, he flapped up and away, returning to the place where his plans would come together. There was still regret, sadness, and hurt at the loss, but a lingering feeling of pleasure. Once the power had been used on him, he would be unstoppable. Not even Death itself could defeat him.

The volcano left him then, though a part of him remained. And before he left, Decarabia saluted his brother.

"Thanksssss."

**AN: **Super-powerful evil things make me happy.


	19. Allies Can Be Your Worst Nightmare

**Disclaimer: **These characters are not mine. They never have been, and they never will be. Unless Maxwell Atoms says so, because he owns them. I do, however, reserve the rights for a few characters. And if you don't know who they are by now, what're you doing this far into the story?!

**AN: I live! Things have been pretty busy for me, I'll have you know, but I'm back in action. To make up for it, the chappie's a bit longer than the others. :) **

On with chapter 19,

-KKBS

**Chapter 19**

Sleep was always a good thing, as she hadn't had much time to rest during the duration of their misadventure. But waking up from being knocked unconscious was something altogether different; not only did she open her eyes with a fixed mood, but it was one that others would fear and disapprove of from a young lady. Not that it really mattered to her.

As soon as her eyelids lifted, Mandy's irises burned with hatred. Who or whatever had knocked her out would pay dearly.

But no villain or monster was in sight. It was very difficult to tell as something large and pink was blocking her view.

"Yer awake!"

Billy yelled into her face, his nose pressed up against the patch of skin where hers should have been. Before she could release her bottled up fury, the redhead grabbed her around her torso and pulled her into a tight embrace. The blonde's back cracked a few times as he forgot how fragile her body was in comparison to his other friends', but she didn't say anything. Everything happened so fast that she didn't have the chance to react, so her arms were left to dangle at her sides as the boy continued to squeeze and nuzzle her cheek like a puppy.

"Alright. Let go before I have to waste precious energy hurting you."

He released his hold on her and began to say something, but ended up starting a new sentence.

"It all started with this lady-no, her scythe-d'oh wait, this uglyman…I was asleep, and then they were there and I was all 'Ahhh!' Were you?"

Before he could say anything else, Mandy put her hands in front of her body, signaling for him to shut up a moment.

"Woah, there. Slow down. First, tell me what I'm doing in this bed."

"I putcha in there when you were sleeping."

"No, I mean how did we get there? Who helped you?"

"Ooooooh…You gotta learn to be more clearer with what you're asking."

The blonde rolled her eyes.

"This wrinkly old man and his pretty lady friend brought us here, into the cruddy house. I was awake when they were talking, and I heard them say something about a Deck of Arabia, or something. Anyways, they put me and you on the floor and told me to help you. Then I fell back asleep. Then I woke up again, and my head hurt. I saws you turning and looking all uncomfortable, so I put you onto the mattress thing."

"Didn't you try to escape?"

"No."

Billy shuffled a bit, crossing his legs and placing his hands on his knees. He and Mandy stared at each other for a moment, before she groaned in exasperation.

"Well? Aren't you going to tell me why not?"

"Yup."

"…..NOW?!"

"Oh, right."

He smiled awkwardly, trying to cover up his stupid mistake.

"There's a very simple explanation."

"Which would be?"

"Well, I didn't want to leave you all alone when you were all hurt."

He didn't want to leave her alone when she was vulnerable; a sign of weakness. But nevertheless, she was grateful that he had stuck by her side, as he had countless times before.

"Plus the door's locked."

Mandy rubbed her forehead-it was always rather difficult to get a straight answer from the buffoon. But now that she had a rough idea of what had occurred when she was passed out, there was no more reason to interrogate him, and stimulate another headache. Instead, she took the chance to get a better look at the room she and her companion were being held captive in.

It didn't look like anything out of the ordinary, save for an odd array of items that hung from the ceiling: various staffs, stones, and a few books. Why they were placed so high up seemed rather pointless, but the girl supposed there had to be reason behind it. Along the walls were an assortment of shelves containing multitudes of books and pottery, some of which looked old and musty, while others seemed brand new. At the wall furthest in front of her was a small table with a few cups and glasses laid out upon it. Some sort of gray liquid spilled over the rims and onto the wooden surface, informing her that someone had sloppily tried to pour their contents. She had a good guess who that might have been. And sure enough…

"Oh, by the way, I made you some food! My mom always said food makes you strong. And helps you live."

From behind his back the redhead produced a dirty-looking glass, filled with the murky substance. In his other hand, a spoon seemingly appeared from thin air.

"What is it?"

"Iunno." He replied, his speech slurred. "I founds it on the table and thought 'maybe it's a magic potion.' And magic potions always give you magic genies if you drink them three times."

She decided not to pay attention to the latter statement.

"I'm not hungry."

Billy's grin faded at her refusal to consume whatever it was he had concocted. His shoulders drooped as he lowered his arms and mumbled something inaudible.

Mandy felt a slight desire to simply give in and take his offer, but another part refused to back down and show any sign of weakness.

But her physical self settled her mental debate as a deep growl sounded from her stomach. As soon as it reached his ears, Billy perked back up again as if nothing had happened.

"Damn this body for giving me away..."

"I knew you were hungry! Eat it, it's good. Or drink it 'cause it's really thin. Sorta like yoghurt, only it doesn't go moldy. Yoghurt tastes better when it's moldy."

He looked away for a moment, caught in a daydream as past memories involving the dairy product resurfaced, as well as nights of vomiting and stomachaches.

"It's pretty rad alright."

As quickly as they had began his thoughts ceased, and he gazed back at Mandy.

"Have somes!"

With that said, he began poking her cheek obnoxiously, giggling all the while. And no matter how she wanted to raise her hands and hit him, they seemed bound to the mattress; sores and bruises, as well as weakened muscles got the better of her. Her body was still far too sore and drained from both her injuries and the lack of rest, so she was helpless. For the time being.

"Fine. Give it here, then."

Billy raised the glass bottle carefully, measuring how much he should pour into the glass next to him. However, he never got the chance to allow the liquid to flow out from the rim.

"Here they are."

The door across the room flew open, and a musty smell crept in to greet them. Mandy gagged for a moment; it greatly reminded her of Billy's toes when he forgot to bathe for a couple of weeks.

"Are you sure they can help us?"

A lady clad in white stepped forward, bringing with her a sense of fear and worry.

"I'm almost positive-they seemed to be helping Grim before anyways."

The redhead turned around and squeaked with joy.

"Pretty lady!"

The woman looked taken aback for a moment, then confused.

"No…My name is Persephone, Goddess of Li-"

"Wow, Mister! You're even uglier than when I first saw you."

Billy interrupted, leaping up from the bed to inspect the figure standing close behind her.

The owner of the second voice, who had not yet revealed itself, growled and slunk away from the oncoming train of joy and stupidity.

"You said they were safe!" It shouted at Persephone.

Billy charged towards the door, ready to fling himself at the creature, before coming to an abrupt halt. His eyes widened in panic, and he pointed dumbly to the thing in front of him.

"Y-ya, y-yous is AWFUL!"

Opening his mouth to an impossible length, Billy sucked in his chest and let out an ear-piercing scream. Yipping like a kicked puppy, the teen sprinted back across the room, jumped onto the bed, and lay shaking at Mandy's feet. The creature's eyes glittered with amusement, an unexpected reaction, to say the least.

"Mandy! Make it go away!"

She could still hear his teeth chattering from the foot of the mattress, and she gave him a quick glance to make sure he didn't hurt himself in the process. Other that a red face and trembling chin, she found nothing serious.

"Perhaps you were right, friend. They don't seem dangerous at all. Perhaps, even, _less _honorable than you had me believe at first."

The It stepped out from the shadows, grinning and yet full of disfavor towards the two teenagers.

Mandy couldn't really blame Billy for reacting as he did. Even she fought the urgency to stick out her tongue and shudder at its form though he resembled a man; warts, peeled skin, and one lazy eye covered his face alone. A few scraggly grey hairs grew across his front lip and chin, as well as inside the ears. A small hunch grew across his back. They were lucky that the thing's head and body were cloaked in a robe of deep violet. Any other exposed parts may have made both of them throw up.

"Arpagius, really." The Goddess scolded the disgusting man. "We need someone to collect the army, and although they may not be our first choices, you must give them credit."

Arpagius didn't seem to hear her, though. (Perhaps from all the hair growing in there,)

Stepping up to Mandy, his jaw fell slack.

"This one." He mumbled to nobody. "There's something odd about her."

"What was that?" The sadistic blonde questioned, daring him to answer. The old man swore he could feel his very heartbeat stop at hollowness of her voice, yet he took her remark as a challenge.

"There certainly is something odd about you, my dear. I'm not getting much of a sense of compassion from you."

He crossed his arms and gave a quick, sarcastic smile. Arpiagus may not have looked it, but his wisdom was almost equally matched by his wit. Mandy slit her eyes, still staring right into the man's face. No matter how revolting it was.

"Yes, there is something different about me." She replied darkly.

"Aren't you going to squish him like a wer-um?" Billy called out, fearing that he might have been forgotten. Crawling on all fours, he clambered a few feet before plopping down beside his blonde friend. Arpiagus uncrossed his arms and let out a small gasp.

"What is it?" Persephone walked up beside him.

Again, he seemed not to hear.

"Is this young man your husband, then?"

Mandy's eyebrows shot up, Persephone did a double-take, and Billy started choking on his snot.

The old man frowned in confusion as all three of them slowly digested the question.

"What? Is he or is he not?"

"No." Mandy stated firmly, her teeth gritted and her eyes closed. "No, he's not."

"I'm Mandy's bestest best friend in all of besttown!" The redhead cried out, instantly forgetting how embarrassing the question was.

"Is this a forced friendship, like the one you have with the Grim reaper?" Arpiagus turned to her.

For a very long time she had always thought so. After all, he would always follow her around, popping up everywhere at any given time. Yet when she longed for peace and silence, he usually left. And when she did not, she made no effort to find someone else to spend time with. She didn't need to. As infuriating as it was, her answer was-

"No."

"Then why are you letting him do that?"

He wrinkled his nose and asked, pointing at Billy-who was still scrunched up by Mandy, peeking out at him through his hands.

"Surely someone with such-ahem-_mannerisms _as yours would kill him for coming near you? It doesn't fit your character at all."

"You barely know me."

"I barely know your friend and I can tell he's an idiot."

"That's nothing special. Three questions are enough to tell. Billy-"

She looked over at the redhead while he picked his eye out of boredom. Upon hearing her voice, however, he postponed his activities to answer.

"Yeah, Mandy?"

"What rhymes with orange?"

"Blue!"

"How many fingers does the average human have?"

"Seventy-four!"

"Why are there telephones?"

"Because hobos need to eat _something. _Duh."

Arpiagus gaped.

"Isn't this beside the initial point?" Persephone piped up, glancing around nervously. "We must use their thoughts and follow through as soon as possible. We have to help Grim."

"And the rest of the world, as I seem to keep having to remind you."

Mandy kept here intense glare fixated on the old man, even though he was no longer looking at her. The aged fool had no right to accuse her of such untruths. Married to Billy. Of all the ridiculous statements…

In the corner of her vision, Billy's red hair appeared. He had taken off his scarlet hat for a moment to scratch behind his ears while the 'adults' conversed. He caught her staring, and stopped immediately. At a loss for words, both looked on, each unsure of what to do or say.

"Hello? Billy, Mandy. Pay attention."

Her consciousness snapped back, and she ruffled the covers and shifted over so that she was in a more relaxed position.

"We need you to leave us alone for a few minutes. When we call you back in, we're going to need your help. In a rather large way." Her brunette hair fell across her face as she lowered her head, saddened by the last part of her sentence.

Mandy frowned. So much for getting comfortable.

"Whatever."

Still griping on the inside, the blonde heaved her aching body in order to sit upright, before placing her bare feet onto the cold floor. Her toes shivered slightly from the chill, and she wished desperately for a pair of socks. Luckily, her black shoes and warm socks were only a few feet away from the bed. And although it felt like miles, she reached them.

"Hey, mister uglydude?" Billy tapped Arpiagus on the shoulder as he whispered with the Goddess.

"What is it?"

"Where's the exit?"

"Right over there." Without a hint of hesitation, the cloaked man pointed past the open door, into another room.

"Thankses you!"

The idiot ran forward again, this time covering his eyes as he passed Arpiagus. This, of course, resulted in him missing the doorway altogether, smacking into the wooden frame, and holding hid face in agony.

"Stubid cruddy door reached out and bit me! Duheeheehee!"

And resumed his rather pointless race towards the exit.

Mandy grumbled a bit, stretched out her sore muscles, and rose to go after him. .

"Go ahead. Follow him. Make sure he stays out of trouble."

She cocked an eyebrow and turned to face Arpiagus. He just smiled.

"Just like you always have."

Having little patience for those who annoyed her, she granted him only a sideways glance, and nothing more. Then she turned her back on him, and went after the prancing idiot.

**-GABM-**

"Where is it??! And where is THE GIRL?!"

Decarabia growled, destroying a large boulder with a simple glare. He had come back upset, only to find that his followers had lost the Goddess.

Several of his disciples trembled under him, each not wanting to be the one to have to answer.

Finally, all of them stepped back, but one. His friends had betrayed him to save their own hides, and he knew it well. Gulping, the scraggly creature swallowed his fear and stuttered:

"W-well, sir, we tried to stop her, but-"

"GRAAHH!!"

The demonic bird would not hear its excuses, though he had asked for them.

With a quick thrust of his black claw, Decarabia was inside the pathetic beast, creating a hole right through its stomach. It uttered but a small gasp, and its pale eyes flew open. Then, almost silently, its head lowered, and its eyes went dim.

The demon pulled its talon out of the creature, wiping off the blood with a look of pure contempt on his face. Seething, he put his beak mere inches from the others' faces.

"Does anyone else wish to speak?"

There was no answer, and the winged fiend grinned maliciously.

"Good. You're lucky she is no longer needed-or I would have all of your heads on the floor right now." He spat at them, and they shuddered and held their breaths.

"Now go, you idiots, and guard the Reaper!"

They wasted no time following his commands, not wanting to get on Decarabia's bad side themselves.

Sighing, the demon's anger lessened, and he placed one wing over his head, scratching it absentmindedly. When he drew the appendage back, a new look of ferocity was shown. The power he had collected from Persephone, and stored for himself, would definitely prove useful. He rose into the air, trailing one claw against the side of the cave. Flying past Grim's prison, he remembered how little time there was left before the opportunity to strike.

"You won't get away wit dis mon! If I had me scythe, I can assure you…"

The skeleton's heavily accented voice faded into the distance. Decarabia didn't care. He wasn't really paying attention to his feeble remarks, anyways.

The winged beast hovered a moment, considering whether to go through with the decision. He caught a glance at the swirling ball of pure energy, and the decision became easy.

Yes.

Fixated to the mass of power, he barely noticed the stalactites scraping the horns on his head, or the flesh on his wing. None of it mattered then.

He stepped right into the energy, as one would step into a pool of water; strength shot through his body instantly, and he shuddered as it pulsated through him. His muscles thickened, strength increased, and what little compassion there was deep inside hi was eradicated. He was blind to love and humanity, as his eyes revealed in their shine and blood red appearance. Even his teeth seemed sharper, yet crooked.

Oh, yes. He would enjoy the bloodshed….


	20. Pressure, Blood, and Reconciliation

**Disclaimer: **These characters are not mine. They never have been, and they never will be. Unless Maxwell Atoms says so, because he owns them. I do, however, reserve the rights for a few characters. And if you don't know who they are by now, what're you doing this far into the story?!

**AN: Curse my lazy procrasinating ass! Damn it, I tell you! Not too much supporting the plot here, (there is some, though) but humor and more interactive character stuff. This story has reeeeally needed an update, so...**

**on with chapter 20!**

**-KKBS**

**Chapter 20**

"Oof!"

Billy let out a low groan as he tripped over the bottom of the doorframe, falling flat on his face. As he picked himself up off the ground, he suddenly froze; some new and unexpected form of pain struck his back again, as the cut was still not completely sealed. Craning his neck over his shoulder to see what the cause of this was, he only managed to have the rest of his body follow suit. Grinning crazily, he spun around in circles a few times before spinning into a pair of cold eyes.

"What are you doing?"

Mandy asked, then paused a moment to think.

"Never mind. I don't care."

Ignoring her lack of interest, the redhead attempted to explain.

"It hurts, and my stupid body won't stay still."

Turning around once more, he looked at her with a defeated expression on his face.

She curled her lip up in a look of utter displeasure, but decided to take a look anyway. The blonde stepped over carefully, catching sight of a white bandage on his hindquarters.

"Can you see it yet? Can you can you can you can youuus?"

He struggled again to view his back, but was again unsuccessful.

Mandy pressed on, examining the bandage more closely. It seemed as though Persephone or Arpiagus has tried to wrap it around his wound, but either didn't know what they were doing, or rushed. The cloth was stuck inside the cut, which was most likely what had begun the stinging and pain. Delicately, she peeled away at the bandage, while Billy jerked involuntarily.

"OW! That just hurts even more!"

"Shut up. You wanted me to help you, so here you go."

Her body became tense with preparation as the bandages thinned.

"Hey Mandy, what're you-AAAAAHHH!"

She ripped the cloth off with ease, leaving the boy to writhe in the unreachable pain.

WAAHAAAAHAAAA!!!

In his hysteria he began to run around in circles, darting between stalagmites and over rocks, waving his arms about like the idiot he was. Mandy, her heart sealed once more, took no mind.

"Mandy, HELP!"

"No."

From behind her there was a sudden crash, along with another yowl of anguish. Something lighly pattered against the blonde's back, much like the first few drops of rain against one's clothes. This, finally, called her attention.

Slowly she turned around, only to meet a rather gory sight.

He lay on his stomach in front of the boulder-the obvious cause of the trouble. The wound on his back was partway open again, bleeding profusely. Looking at her pink attire, Mandy could see what had splattered against her.

His blood.

There were other, similar patterns of the red liquid marked against other stalagmites.

"Errfghhh..."

He mumbled, then spit out a mouthful of the copper substance. Mandy, hiding her concern before a veil of nonchalent attitude, walked up to him. Gripping his ear with two fingers she pulled him to his feet, purposely taking deep breaths so as to scare him.

"Idiot." She breathed.

Billy let out a small whimper, but seeing that it was not going to help him, turned it into a nod.

The blonde eyed him for a moment, scanning his visible injuries. The only part of him that had seemingly not been bruised was his dignity; as she gazed upon his body, his grin was plastered on.

"Help?" He asked as sweetly as he could with a cut lip, trying his hardest to make eye contact.

If she did nothing, the wound would continue to bleed, and would more likely than not become infected.

_If_ she did nothing.

"Come here." She sighed, motioning towards a flat rock beside her.

Billy, who had more than expected her to take pleasure in his plight, was both astonished and joyous that she had, in fact, decided to help.

"Ooh, thank you thank you thank you thank you!"

He bounded up to her, wincing only once, and grabbed her shoulders. Before she had the chance to pluck them off, something wet and bumpy was making it way up her face, leaving a trail of slobber leading down her cheek.

Amazing, how something as juevenile as a lick can be taken so seriously.

Faster than he could register, she had gripped him by the collar of his shirt, lifted him onto his tip toes, and snarled. She struck his face with the palm of her hand several times before backing down. To her amazement and dissapointment, his smile remained.

"Heehee. That was fun! Are you still going to help me?"

She growled at him, wishing that that ever-present grin would dissapate, so that she wouldn't feel so...uncomfortable hurting him. But it never did.

Finding no hatred or fear in his eyes, she turned her head and lowered him to the ground.

"Just take your shirt off."

"Say wha?"

Her impatiance only heightened with his lack of focus, and she glared at him for the second time. Instead of asking again, she roughly grabbed the boy by his shoulders, sitting him down on the rock beside her. Mandy held him there for a few seconds until Billy finally caught on, and stopped squirming.

"Oooh, I get it. You're gonna bandage my all up like a mummy. Y'know, my mommy still hasta help me get my shirt off when I go for a bath."

"You mean you can't take it off yourself?" She asked, sounding disgusted.

"Nu-uh. When mom's not around and dad's all liquored up, I cut my shirts with scissors to ecscapes from them."

He giggled loudly and rocked back and forth, holding his sides happily. When he finished, the redhead flicked a tear from his eye and chuckled. He beamed at her from the rock, and raised his arms. Mandy wrinkled her nose at the disgusting orange arm hair that was produced.

"Ugh..."

It wasn't that big of a deal in reality, as she'd seen the boy fully naked all too many times before. More, the sesne of having to give in to him. Especially when he wasn't even _trying_ to break her. Taking no heed in his comfort, she dug her nails into the bottom of the shirt and pulled upwards harshly, hoping against hopes that it would come off easily.

Of course, luck will never shift at the appropriate time.

Instead of sliding easily from his backside, the cloth snagged on the metal clasp in Billy's belt.

His head was stuck inside the collar of the shirt, although only half way, while the arm pieces caught around his shoulders. The end result was a rather trapped Billy.

"Heh hey look, Mandy! Ima turtle!"

The idiot grinned and got up, spewing random and often screechy impressions of what he thought sounded like a turtle. Flapping his arms and wiggling the seat of his pants, the redhead ran away from his blonde friend, not noticing the trail of blood he was leaving behind. Circling back around to her, he gave her a long, almost intelligent stare. Moments later his face cleared and he galloped closer. He tried to reach her with his hands, but found that he could only flail them so far. Mandy, never in the mood for games, proceeded to sit him down again.

"Get your ass back on this stone, right now, or-" she began to hiss, but was silenced.

Billy, still unable to find another suitable appendage, bent over and rubbed his face aginst hers.

"TAG! You're IT!"

He pulled back and shook his head. For a fleeting moment when tagging her, the part of his cheek where he had touched her tingled. Pleasantly, at that.

Although perplexing, he shook the feeling off and snapped back to reailty. Sticking out his tongue, he avoided a slap that had very narrowly missed him. Seeing that she had not hit flesh, Mandy instinctively raised the hand to her own cheek, and brushed it softly. What was that weird feeling?

"You can't catch me!"

" I don't _want _to catch you."

"Eeer...That's only 'cause you CAN'T!"

Mandy narrowed her eyes evily. Nobody, in no way, would ever make a fool of her. And, in contradiction to her goal, she rather foolishly began to chase after him. His quirky laughter was a dead give away, and she could tell in a heartbeat that he was trying to hide. Which was quite hard to do in an abandoned cavern.

"I'm going to find you, Billy. And when I do, you're going to die."

"But Grim ain't here, and...oh crud."

Following his voice, she stepped behing a stalagmite and found him crouched behind it, just as she had suspected. Smiling uneasily and blushing, Billy tried his best to stall his brutal punishment. Scrambling closer to the jagged wall, he gave his cheekiest grin and shrugged.

"B-but if you hurt me more, I could bleed to death! Well, almost death, since Grim's gone..."

She took a step closer, and he began to sweat.

"Wait, I got a question!"

Mandy stopped, slightly intrigued.

"Really? What is it?" She dared.

The redhead stopped sweating for a moment and scratched his head. Forgetting all about his current situation, he remembered a question that really **had** been bugging him.

"Weeeeell, what are them apples for that every girl hides in her shirt, huh?"

"What?"

'Them lumpy apple-kebobers." He said matter-of-factly, pointing at her chest through his sleeve.

"...Oh. Good God, you're stupid." She also forgot about what she was about to do, and answered.

"Those aren't apples."

"Oranges?"

"No."

"Melons?"

'No."

"Really big grapes?"

"..._no_."

"Der, bananan-as?"

"..._NO_...You know what, just drop it."

"Oh, ok." He replied. "Well, whatever they are, they looks real pretty on you, Mandy. I like 'em."

Anger renewed in her system, and hot blood was pumped into her veins. If looks could kill, he would have been evaporated.

"You're DEAD, Billy!"

She tackled him there, in a manner greatly resembling one from her youth. And she had always beaten him at fisticuffs.

"OOF!"

They landed on the rocky ground, a jumbled mess of sweat, anger, confusion, and, more prominently by the second, blood. They kicked and yelled at each other to call it quits, but each were equally stubborn, and the anatchy ensewed. Billy gained control of the fight for a minute, straddling her in a position that would, at any other time, have been displeasingly akward. He smiled, thinking that for once he might win, when-

"WHUF!"

He rolled off of her, clutching the area near the zipper of his jeans. His eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he lay defeated.

"Eee...my secret spot..." He squeeked.

Now his half-covered torso was pinned to the floor, held down by a pair of delicate hands. This time he didn't bother to struggle as she pressed her knee into his belly. She looked at his twitching face, trying to decide how to hurt him.

"Hmm..."

A blinding light filled the cave suddenly, and her head snapped towards the source. Two voices were mumbling to each other a few yards away.

"I thought you said they weren't married, Persephone."

"How was I to know?"

The two being stood in the doorway, which both teenagers had forgotten was only a short distance away.

"Shit."

Mandy clambered of his body and tried to regain her composture. This was, of course, impossible.

"We're not married."

"Of course you aren't." Arpiagus smirked, a smug expression forming very blatantly across his aged face.

Unable to respond to the comeback, she gave a conspicuous growl, and walked over to him and the Goddess. Folding her arms across her chest, she gave an undignifying scoff.

"What do you want?"

"Most unlady-like." Arpiagus whispered to his partner, before turning to face the blonde.

"We need you and your "ahem" 'friend' to come inside a moment. The explanation shall begin there." He turned on his heel and flicked his cloak, dissapearing inside the shack.

Unable to face him, Mandy called out to the redhead.

"Come on, Billy. The old fart needs us."

Using the rocks as support, Billy continued to clutch his pants and giggled.

"Hehe. Fart."

Wincing at the pain between his legs, he groaned and looked downwards.

"Mandy, I think you popped one of them..."

Before running to catch up to her.

-GABM-

Persephone stood beside a rotting table, the old man at her side. She snapped her fingers twice to get Billy's attention, as he was preoccupied with a bit of belly button lint. His shirt had been pulled back over his body, and new bandages had been assigned to his wound. Naturally, he hardly noticed.

"Yes, lady sir? I'm ready for your boring explernation now." He smiled at her, not realising the insult towards her prepared speech.

Mandy stood beside him, across from the old man. Never taking her eyes off his, she readily agreed.

"Yeah. Get on with it."

"Well, this all began with-"

"Boooring!"

She could already tell that this would not be an easy monologue to deliver in such company. Regardless, she cleared her throat and began again.

"This began thousands of years ago. Your friend the Grim Reaper and I went to the same school together, though we were not at all friends. I was, as you might say, an outsider. He and the other monsters comitted the usual bullying; name-calling, spitting, teasing, the like. But things began to grow more violent as time went on...Grim, I think, was more pressured by the others than cruel himself. It does not justify what he did, but I see now the error of my ways...How readily I placed the blame on him, compared to now. At the time, however, it shattered my very soul..."

The Goddess went on to relive her past expreiences, the role Grim played, and how his transformation into the Grim Reaper granted her the perfect opportunity to strike. She retold his capture, denial, the betrayal by Decarabia, and her escape.

"...I came to this rocky place seeking help from the only other monster I knew; Arpiagus. It is a blessing that I could find even him. Not only has it been centuries, but he is the sole creature I trust now. Broxas and Decarabia have made sure of that...Alas, I am now greatly in debt with him now, as he agreed to both shelter and help me. And now that you two have arrived, we can proceed with the final act."

"What would that be?"

Persephone paused a moment before answering, her voice hidden in shadow.

"The final battle."

"Dun dun duuuuun." Billy added. "I figured your rememberance story is so dramatic it needed moose sick!"

"He means music."

"Yes, well." The Goddess coughed and shifted her weight uneasily. " That is how we all ended up here, at any rate. I am sorry for the trouble this must have caused you."

"Cool!" The quirky teen exclaimed, and the brunette gasped at his disconcern.

"That story reminded me of that thing I don't know about!"

"Shut it, Billy." Mandy gave him a quick glance, and he zipped an invisible zipper over his lips.

She turned to face the Goddess, eyebrow raised.

"And how exactly are we going to help you?"

Persephone reached behind her.

"...Combined with an object very crucial to the plot. It has been since the beginning."

The lady in white grimaced; the memories of its use were almost too much for her. She drew her arm in front of her...

"With this."

**AN: In the words of Billy: Dun dun duuuunuuuun. **


	21. Conjuring Those We Know Well

**Disclaimer: **These characters are not mine. They never have been, and they never will be. Unless Maxwell Atoms says so, because he owns them. I do, however, reserve the rights for a few characters. And if you don't know who they are by now, what're you doing this far into the story?!

**AN: If you can spot the two quotes from Futurama in here, I'll give you a cyber cake. :P**

**On with,**

**Chapter 21**

A glint of metal and a black rod-that was all they needed to see.

"The scythe." Persephone finished, though it was rather pointless.

Mandy frowned and her wide eyes slackened, forming a rather unamused look. She had been hoping for something far more interesting. Billy, of course, was more easily entertained.

"WOW! What the heck is that?!" He pointed and jumped in front of the Goddess, who promptly fell over backwards.

Never in her thousands of years of existance had she been so frightened and confused; the ball of energy that was the redhead was more frightening than anything she had encountered before. It was much like someone who had never been near an animal to suddenly be jumped by a boisterous, bouncy little puppy; virtually harmless, yet intimidating.

Not sensing anything wrong, Billy leaned over and peered at the object still clasped in her grip. The brunette's eyes moved wildly, searching for a way to call him off. Mandy would have, at that moment, but seeing her in such a fitful state was far too entertaining to let pass by. Arpiagus would have helped her, but being the wise guy he was, also thought it funny to see her in a daze.

"Oooh! Can I see it?"

His hand reached down, and Persephone's flew to her face as a sheild. But his intentions were not on her at all, as she quickly found out, but rather, the shiny scythe. Billy pulled it away from her shaking form with ease, and began carefully examining it. For him, that meant the test poke, the test sniff, and lastly, the test taste. As his tongue met the gleaming edge, a blue aura circled around him. The idiot stopped in mid-lick, interested in what was happening. Then, without warning, the blue mist seemed to strike him.

ZZZZ-ZZZZ-ZZZZZZZ!!!...

His body twitched involuntarily a few times, as the blue light streamed in and out of his body. Too shocked to scream, Billy just stood there as the charge charred his clothes and face. After a few moments the energy seemed to dissapate, and Billy turned to Mandy, his hair fizzling at the end. Out of stupidity, his tongue remained connected to the scythe. He only let go to try and speak.

"Woah." He wheezed, a puff of smoke billowing from his lips. "That tasted like a near-death experience..."

He grinned, though his eyes and body swayed like a drunk.

"Let's do that again!" He opened his mouth in preparation for another lick, but was quickly covered by a pale hand.

"Let's not." Mandy's voice chilled him to the bone, and he nodded slowly.

"Uuuhh...I feel funny..."

His eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he teetered once more, arms waving, before falling over backwards. His head was about to hit the floor when it was caught by the same hands that had silenced him only moments before.

The blonde growled at her unfortunate positioning; she knew that she could not hold the unconcious idiot while bent over for very long, yet did not want to hurt him. In all fairness she should have let him fall, but now that she had bothered to catch him, would not waste her efforts. Glaring at the old man and the Goddess (who, as she was disgusted to see, was also still on the ground) she sat down on the dirty floor, cradling Billy's head against her crossed legs.

"All stupidity aside, would you care to let us...me...know what Grim's scthye has to do with any of this?" She asked in mock politeness.

Arpiagus stepped forward, muttering uner his breath for his companion to get up, and rested his back upon the table. Tangling a finger in his stringy beard, a faraway expression crossed him for a moment, then vanished.

"I can use it to conjure an army."

"Then why do you need us?"

"You and your boyfriend are going to conjure it for us."

Ignoring the snide remark about Billy, she pressed further.

"How? And what makes you think we'll lend our services to you?"

The old man sighed and gazed upon her, for once with a serious look, exempt of any humor or mockery.

"I have the scythe and powers, but cannot create my own army. My magic will only get me so far, you know.I can summon any being from any of the farthest reaches of the universe, but alas, I know of none. Persephone here is the only other living being I have come into contact with for hundreds of years. I am a solitary man, a hermit, as your kind might say. We need your memories and minds to help form an image of whom to call. If I can tap into your minds with the scythe, I can pull forth any relatives, enemies, friends, mythical creatures...anyone or thing you have ever come into contact with. Those who are your enemies will be filtered out, but everyone else will appear here."

Arpiagus gasped for a moment, as his speech had winded him. His lungs were not what they used to be.

"Hemm...As for the latter question...if you do not comply, then the realms will be given up to Decarabia and his army. Our plans may not be explicit, and are a bit irrational, but this is our only solution. Otherwise, all will be lost. Decarabia could strike at any moment."

Any precautions or hints of doubt were blown out the window. It was almost funny, how someone who hacked and wheezed every other sentance could create such an impact. Mandy barely had time to register the importance of her decision before it was thrust upon her.

"Do you accept?"

Persephone had risen, straightened herself, and appeared calm without anyone's notice, and it came as a surprise to hear her voice.

"Are you sure this is our only option?"

"Not unless you wish to be dictated by a demon. And now that he has tapped into the power Persephone has stored for so long...he will be completely corrupted. Whatever soul he had in him is gone now, replaced with evil. Evil that you can't bargain with, that will show no mercy or pity, and that feels no pain."

"You could have answered with a simple 'yes or no' instead of dramatizing everything."

"I'm simply stating the facts. You and your idiot here are the only sentient organisms for hundreds of miles who haven't been recruited into Dec's army. You're rather...alone right now. Even returning to the outside world without our help is almost impossible."

"There are no other humans?"

"No. Only you...and your friend."

Mandy looked down at Billy for a moment, for he had begun to drool on her leg. Yet his random twitches and giggles seemed to captivate her, and she found herself leaning inwards a bit further. He was her only gateway to her world now. Without him, she was alone.

Her only friend.

"What the hell are you doing?"

She snapped back and her head refocused, though it was too late. They had already seen her so disgustingly close to him.

"We'll help you, alright? If the universe fell apart, how would I rule it? There will only ever be one dictator. _**Me**_."

Even in a 'good' mood Mandy could be frightful, and aggitated, she was even worse. Her venemous words clutched around the Goddess' and Arpiagus' hearts, releasing a gasp from both. Neither had any idea just how malicious the girl could be when she wanted to.

Regaining her former attitude towards him, Mandy slapped Billy hard, sending his eyelids flying open and cheek burning.

"Ow..." He mumbled, still only half awake. "_My_ frumpy ass cakes...Oh. Whodat?"

He squinted for a moment, as her face was concealed in shadow.

"It's me, stupid."

"Grim?"

Not bothering to answer his moronic question, she pushed him from her lap. She didn't dare look at him while doing so; if she did, the teen might have been tempted to tone down her harshness.

"Nobody we know has any training or weaponry. How are we going to face Decarabia's army with a bunch of low lifes?"

Arpiagus mearly chuckled. It amused him, how often she underestimated his abilities.

"I can provide what we need to defend ourselves. As for weapons...I can improvise. And even though your allies have never been in a battle before, we must at least try. Hopefully sheer numbers will outweigh the oppositions. They're not very bright as it is, at any rate." He rolled his eyes, and Persephone nodded her head in agreement.

"You'll be sending thousands to their deaths. Some wouldn't even last five minutes."

The old man's brow wrinkled, and his grin dissapeared. He knew and achknowledged the fact. He also understood the impact it would create. Unfortunately, there was no way around it.

"What are a few lives weighed against the fate of the universe? It will be painful to see those you know fondly die fighting. But if they do not, they will die without dignity, and without a shred of mercy. If Decarabia's in charge, it will be a slow demise."

Even Billy looked downcast at this, and he turned to Mandy for reassurance. He, of course, had not idea what was going on, which was his cue to look to her for answers. But she did not see him, nor his confused face, for her head was bowed. Her parents, his...everyone. As good as dead.

And it might be in vain.

"Mandy? Are we going to die?"

"Not yet."

She had always thought in better to be rid of the pests and annoyances that filled her life, but now that she was actually faced with the truth, it almost hurt. What was worse, the both of them could be killed as well. And if anything ever happened to him...

No. She would protect him.

"We oblige. Provided that our 'army' works under my command."

"But you've never commanded such a large force before. You'd have no idea what to..."

The feeling of power and leadership only strengthened around her as he spoke, and he quickly cut off his unspoken sentance. Using his acute judge of personality, he could already tell what he was about to say was a lie. She would lead, and others would follow.

"You shall have that granted for you."

"Then let's get going."

-GABM-

Outside the shack, Persephone spoke up for the first time in a while. It had become rare for her to talk at all, as she let Arpiagus do most of the guiding. It was not in her nature to consort with others, as hundreds of years in solitude had taught her. It almost seemed as though she had trouble holding a conversation at all.

"Who's memories shall be used? Who here has seen the most?"

"Oooh, ooh! Pick me! Memememememe!"

Billy held up his hand and arm, jumping up and down in an insane attempt to get picked. He still had no idea what he was being picked for, exactly, but as long as it entertained him, it didn't matter.

Mandy crossed her arms over her chest.

"Billy's been to more realms and universes than you can count. He's always getting himself into trouble with Grim's stuff."

Persephone turned to Arpiagus, a doubtful look on her face.

"Should we even access his memories and thoughts at all? Who knows what imaginary things are running around in his head."

"We have to. Even if what he conjures is not real, at least we'll have more bodies."

The old man nodded in the redhead's direction, and he bounded over to him and the scythe. Quivering with excitement and anticipation, Billy stopped in front of the cloaked man and lady, who took care to step back a few feet.

"Now Billy. Billy?"

His attention had been diverted for a split second, and Arpiagus had to recall it before he decided to run away.

"Yes, uglyman?"

"I need to to calm down, right now. Think of something peaceful, and quiet...sometime when you were very relaxed...Can you think of any such time?"

The teen bowed his head and squeezed his eyes tight, brain scrambling for an answer. After a few seconds his tense body grew limp, and a stupid smile fixated itself across his lips.

"Uh-huh. I remember when Mandy and me was sitting in a tree, and we was talkin'...It was real nice."

The blonde uncrossed her arms for a moment. She didn't think he would remember that, much less find it serene.

"Excellant."

The aged man took a few steps towards him, uttering a faint 'shhhh' sound, like one would to calm a kitten, or other animal. He lay one hand to rest over the content boy's head, the other gripping the gleaming handle of the blade. He too closed his eyes, and took a deep breath; he had not let them know this, but he wasn't quite sure his magic would work with such a powerful obejt. His ideal goal at the moment was simply not to kill the boy in the process.

Especially not since the girl eyed him like a hawk.

Slowly, he brang the scythe towards Billy's hat and hair, struggling against the power within it that wanted him to slice the teen open. The sharp point glistened, and finally touched his head.

The result was mind-blowing.

Sundry colors filled the cave with an explosion of light and a deafening bang, knocking both of the ladies in the party off their feet. A vibrant display met their eyes; it was as if an aurora borealis had sprung from Billy's mind, painting itself in whisps across the sky and low ceiling. The once empty cavern now danced with his memories and recollections, as well as faces he knew well...and others, whom he had seen but once. Dream people also drifted lazily to and fro, as well as monsters and ghouls. All those in his fantasies were present, shining through the gateway into his mind.

"Hold ON!"

Arpiagus shouted, as the swirling images began to drift faster and faster, melding into a dark cloud above their heads. Even Mandy was awestruck. She had seen magic and spells, but none like this.

Billy began to sweat and tremble, as his already feeble brain struggled to cope with the onrush of emotions, remembrance, desires...and faces he wished he didn't remember quite as clearly. He knew the evil beings would be filtered out, but they still frightened him.

There was another crash, and the cloud seemingly exploded in mid-air; the air cackled with static, and the pulse of other worldly powers as the beings were sucked from their homes, and lives...

Mandy forced her eyes open against the blinding white light, enough to see familiar shapes materializing before her.

First a head would appear, without a body; then shoulders, torsos, legs, and feet. Some were caught in inconvenient positions, pure and simple shock painted across their faces. Others, as she soon found, seemed less than surprised.

"What am I doing here?"

"Marge?"

"Where the hell??!..."

"Odd."

A body formed, slower than most, directly in front of the blonde, and she scrambled to regain her footing, in case it fell on her. She did a double-take. At first, she had thought it to be Billy. Taking a closer look, though, she soon realized it was not. His neat attire and blue cap gave him away instantly.

"Oh no. Not you."

"What the devil am I doing here? What's going on, Mandy?"

William looked around frantically, his panic rising as he saw the large crowd forming around him.

"Don't just stand there, woman! Tell me!"

Still at a loss for words after having seen the explosion of people, Mandy decided to make her answer short, and to the point. Besides, she was in a hurry.

"You've been called for war."

"Oh. Bloody hell."

Not wanting to have to stand and explain anymore than that, the girl turned on her heel and left, pushing through the crowd. Where was Billy?

William didn't mind her quick departure, anyways. Amanda had begun to form beside him, her eyes crossed, and mouth wide open.

"Hehehe...Did everything just taste purple for a second there, William?"

-GABM-

Weaving in and out of the familiar faces, searching for Billy...he was her only concern right now. Once the war began, she could not let him out of her sight for even a moment. If she didn't, there was no way he would survive.

Frusterated, she began pushing monsters and humans aside, straining to reach the middle of the horde of bodies. Some reacted poorly to her rude shoves, but others were too busy trying to figure out what was going on to care or notice.

The monsters forming around her made her side-step a few times, as quills and spikes shot out as they materialized. For a moment she was even forced to dodge the panting, saliva-encrusted lips of the Chupacabra, from so many years back.

Damn them all...there were so many voices and screams, each overlapping one another, that she couldn't make out a certain high-pitched babbling. Little did she know that he had already found her.

Ten dirty, unkempt fingers found their way onto her shoulders and twirled her around, though not forcefully.

"It worked Mandy! I conjured them all up, just like the uglyman said! He's over there, with pretty lady. They're talkin' 'bout settling down all these peoples. I dunno how they're gonna do it. The point is, I found my dad!"

Mandy leaned to the side, and found herself staring into a fat belly. Her gaze trailed upwards, into the face of the man that almost matched wits with her idiot. His black pompadour with streaked with gray, yet his essence of childishness never faltered.

"Hi, Mandy. Nice party ya got here, but where's the free cheese? And soda machine?"

Failing to notice the seriousness and obscurity of his situation, Harold absent mindedly began picking his nose, muttering about how noisy it was in the cave.

Tired of dealing the stupidity of those around her, the blonde roughy grabbed Billy by the arm, dragging him towards a nearby ledge.

"Bye, son! Have fun with Mandy! And don't forget to bring back cheese!" Harold tried to call through the flurry of people beginning to form in front of him.

She paid no mind to his calls, eyes glued to the rocky overhang.

The crag would be an ideal spot to get the attention of the masses...

**AN: It'll get better, don't worry. Once the battle starts heating up, so will the action...**


	22. Fated Carnage

**Disclaimer: **These characters are not mine. They never have been, and they never will be. Unless Maxwell Atoms says so, because he owns them. I do, however, reserve the rights for a few characters. And if you don't know who they are by now, what're you doing this far into the story?

**AN: Hooray for fighting!**

**On with:**

**Chapter 22**

Decarabias's heart, now made only of ice and hatred, fought against what was left of his conscious mind; but it was a battle lost far before he even realized what was happening. A truth arose in his swiftly departing mind-one he had kept hidden from others, but one he could not keep from himself. He was not born into evil. It may have seemed as though he and his brother were always bloodthirty and without caring, but that was not so. Only through a taste of what power was like had both changed, into completely different souls. And now he was changing again, and for the worse.

Though he appeared calm and in control, inside his mind and will was screaming, begging to be released. But after only a few short moments, the fighting ceased, and the Jutanio was no longer himself, but something far more ruthless and relentless, if that was at all possible. Such was the effect of total and complete power.

There were so many things that needed to be done. And, not having a sliver of good intentions, the bird was hellbent on revenge. The children would die. The Reaper would be rid of. And, after using them to eliminate all forces above ground, he would kill his army. Only he could possess dominance.

There was also the unresolved matter of his brother. But that could be taken care of easily enough, with the use of the Reaper...

Spreading his enlargened wings, Decarabia took flight once more through the cave, though he found it much more difficult; he had nearly doubled in size upon absorbing the energy, and his newfound strength only enabled him to flap faster. Though this was an advantage in many ways, it made it less simple to glide through the narrow passages and routes he needed to get back. However, once back in the open gorge, the new sense of vigor was much more appealing.

His red eyes gleamed in supposed delight, though one could never be sure of the emotions truly being felt behind their glassy stare. Onwards he flew, casting a terrible shadow over the ground beneath his spiked underbelly. Those beneath him gawked and pointed, clamoring in awe and bewilderment. Many of the beasts simply stopped what they were doing, they were so terrified. Yet impressed.

Coming to a stop by the edge of the valley, he called out to his troops:

_**"All of you, asssssssemble! Take rise to the land above, and begin the destruction of the rrrrrealms. NOW!!!"**_

Not a question was asked of him, and those who were foolish enough to try and comment were quickly silenced. They were not prepared for his sudden command, but upon viewing his size and radiant evil, they began to scramble like a flock of chickens. Hurriedly, they grouped together into the positions Decarabia had so easily forced into their minds.

"Oi, there! To the left!"

"All hogs to the center!"

"Get back to the front right! Assume your battle stances! Subordinates, back in place!"

Voices were flung into the air, most of which went unrecognized and unheard. But there was no time to waste for them, as they had seen what their leader would do to the incompetant.

The Jutanio grinned as the army began to take shape, into a rather formidable looking crowd. This smile faded for a moment, though, as his nostrils were suddenly filled with a new smell; the stench of thousands of new bodies, their regular scents coated with that of magic. This was something unusual and unexpected, especially since it appeared to be growing almost right above him, near the lips of the valley. But wait-something else there, too. Something that made Decarabia very, very happy.

Billy and Mandy were present.

-GABM-

Grim could hear a commotion building outside of his prison, and it only made him worry further. Not being able to see and know what exactly was going on seemed more of a punishment than anything else before. That, topped with the fact that his scythe was no longer in his possession and could be anywhere, was almost unbearable. Being contained within his prison, alone, for such a period of time only made him more anxious.

"Hope de children are all right, at least. Dey're de only chance we got, now."

He mumbled to himself, trying to keep his feverish mind steady.

There was a sudden shift of movement and the clash of pebbles by the entrance of his cell, alerting him instantly. There didn't seem to be anyone there, however. Only something large, and black. The rumbling grew louder, until his bones clacked and scraped against each other, and he turned his gaze upwards.

A final crash, and he could quite suddenly see his visitor. The entire ceiling of the small cave he had been kept in had been ripped off, leaving only a gaping hole.

Towering above him, Decarabia searched for a moment, before his eyes rested on the skeleton, whose own eyes were wide with shock and fear. The bird demon mearly grinned with the pleasure of knowing that his presence was feared, and unwelcome.

"What 'ave ya gone and done now, mon? Don't tell me you used all de power at once!"

Straining to keep his voice from cracking, Grim shouted up to the Jutanio.

_**"I don't have to anssssswer to anyone, Reaper! You will do only as I say-or thingssss will become most unpleasant."**_

The robed figure frowned, his fright lost in the heat of the moment. He would never willingly comply in assisting the bird, no matter what the cost.

"If you tink I'm gonna help you, Dec, you're wrong. Dere ain't notin' that'll make me move."

Grim planted his pale arms firmly over his chest, after pulling up the hood on his robe. He tried to appear unmoved and determined, but his enemy could smell him out in a moment.

_**"I know of what a pattttthetic thing you've become, peon. You willl perform this last task for me, before I get rid of you. You will help me regain myyyyy brother."**_

Only one being in the universe had the power to retreive lost souls; and that being was Death itself.

-GABM-

The blonde stared into the crowd, which she had just managed to get the attention of. She was, as predicted, a very potent figure of a leader, especially since she was set atop the ledge. After just having finished explaining to the crowd the importance of their situation, and the fact that they could not escape if they wanted to, they were staring at her, no longer mumbling, but eerily silent.

"Any...ugh..._questions?" _Mandy called into the crowd.

She didn't really want to have to answer to them, and waste more valuable time. But, neither could she have a confused, unknowing army. At least their heads would be clear and able to focus on their tasks.

The beasts looked at one another, each not wanting to ask a stupid question. One brute within the masses, however, did not care what he looked like, but wanted only answers. His black hair and hard face stood out, as did his attire; he wore only a muscle shirt and shorts, apparently caught whilst doing some sort of physical activity.

"Where the hell are we?" He shouted, and the beings around him whispered, agreeing with his question.

"Hell itself, Spurg." The teen answered. "We're actually directly beneath New Jersey right now."

The muscle-bound teen's frown dissapeared, and he shrugged his shoulders, satisfied with the answer. Growling at anyone who dared laugh, he slunk back into the middle of the crowd.

"Are you in charge here, miss Mandy?"

Though the squeekiness was lost, the politeness in Pud'n's voice was not.

"Who else here would have the capabilites? _I'm_ going to lead this group of baboons."

"I gotcha. Thank you, miss!"

"Right. Anyone else?"

"Ah, yes! Yes, over here!"

The British accent filled the cavern, and he raised his hand politely.

"What is it, William?" She really didn't want to have to talk to him again.

"Right." He cleared his throat a moment. "First, when do we stop for tea, eh? I'll have you know that my grandfather, a general in those blasted Nazi wars, stopped at 3:00, on the dot. Also, I was wondering, say, if this attack is going to be rather global? Is England also going to be invaded, or is this-what you callit- an 'American' affair?"

Mandy rolled her eyes. She shouldn't have expected anything less proposterous from him, but this was supposed to be a semi-intelligent version of Billy. She had hoped he would perhaps have a better question.

"They will destroy everything, everywhere. Your country will die if we don't win, along with your tea...and biscuits, and whatever else you have in there."

William gasped.

"I say, if they insult our food, they insult England itself! And if they insult England, they insult the queen-and nobody insults the queen while I'm here! I'd give my very life for her!"

His tone and fighting spirit reflected on those around him, and many nodded alongside him. A few even went so far as to pump their hands and fists in the air, whooping and cheering. From these few restless people, others began to join in the upbeat attitude, and soon the air was thick with screeches and yells of battle cries. It seemed to ease the tension that had filled the cavern, letting loose such antics.

Though she took no pleasure in their happiness, their courage was acknowledged by Mandy. It would only mean that they would be more useful in the fight.

"Hey, Mandy?" Tapping was felt on her shoulder, and she turned in surprise. She had almsot forgotten that Billy was right behind her on the edge, though not speaking. Which was rather unusual for him.

"Can I answers the next question? I promise it'll be good!"

The crowd was busy with their ovation of William's speech, so she had a moment or two to speak with him. The blonde turned her back on the 'army', instead facing the redhead.

"No. No more questions. We need to get ready."

"Get ready for what? Sauce?"

"Decarabia's troops could show up at any moment. Besides, I wouldn't want you to speak aloud anyways. Knowing you, you'll probably melt our army's brains with your stupidity before the battle even starts."

"Hey battle? We're gonna FIGHT?!"

His lack of paying attention to anything certainly was not helping their cause, and the blonde saw it fit to ignore him.

"Does that mean we're gonna get hurt? Are _you_ goings ta get hurt?"

Try as she might, she found it impossible to ignore his concern. In a fruitless effort to dismiss the hint of fear in his voice, she focused only on her response.

"Everyone here is at risk-we could all die. But whatever happens, I'm not going to go down without taking some of them with me. I suggest you do the same."

Billy seemed taken aback from her statement. The possibility...no, even the _thought _of his childhood friend joining the deceased was traumatizing. Mandy never lost anything.

It certainly left him jarred.

"I won't see you again?"

"Maybe not. Anything can happen, especially now that Grim's not here to clean up the mess that'll be left behind..."

His chin began to tremble, and his eyes grew wide. Raising an eyebrow, she tried asking him what was the matter.

"What are you sniveling about now, you-"

"Please don't die. Nu-uh."

He pulled her into an unexpected embrace, and whispered his sad request into her ear. For some reason, his quiet mumble was even worse than his usual loud whining. It made him seem almost...dead. Lifeless, and devoid of the innocent happiness that ordinarily shone from him like a lightbulb.

Tightening his grips on her shoulders, he pulled her closer, seeking support and comfort from her cold heart. Which, in that split second, had been warmed. Enough so to keep her from hitting or pushing him away.

"We been through a lot, huh? I understand that, sees? I gets it. All this crazy whacko pu-sycho duck stuff we gotten through has made me think 'bouts you lots. And if you ever went away...I-I dunno. I wish I was real smart like you, so I could try and explains it better. Geez, though, I must sound girly. But it's true, all of it. Promise..."

He pulled away and bore his teary eyes into her icy ones. Something inside of him was not getting through, simply because he was incapable of processing his feelings clearly.

She had seen Billy's mood turn on a dime, but nothing like this. It seemed as though even the mention of her dying was enough to burst his bubble. And as unnerving as this was, it didn't compare to what he had managed to say to her. That was what truly worried Mandy.

Unable to respond in any way, she looked away, almost hiding from his words. Although she would never admit to this. Mandy never hid from anything. Ever.

As she looked back into the mass of creatures, she found them to be staring right back at her. Or, more precisely, at the position she and the idiot were in. The redhead still had his hands on her shoulders.

"You owe me five bucks. I'm pretty sure she's human." Harold grinned at his wife.

The blonde's face flushed, though it did not fully turn red. First, it was from a hint of embarassment, then, from anger.

"What are you staring at?" Mandy shouted into the crowd.

-GABM-

Accompanied by her rage, the blonde had only to cast a few glares and speak in a morone tone to get the army to shift and move according to her plans. It still wasn't an easy task, as not many were willing to comply at first, or simply did not understand what to do. So, instead of having to herd everyone at once, she had picked a certain group of beings to lead and organize a portion of the battalion. Only the most trusted, and capable were chosen: Nergal Junior and his father, Eris, Hoss, Spurg, (she was weary at first, until she realized how persuasive his build could be) Arpiagus, and herself being a few. Although she would always be at the very front; the first to face them, and the last to back away.

Some monsters were annoyed and unwilling to be lead by humans at first, Hoop being one of the most persistant to have things changed. His enormous form had not been filtered out with the other evil beings simply because he was no longer hungry. And, while not a pleasant character in any way, he would not hurt anyone with a full belly.

Other beasts and brutes backed him up, including YopYop, the Duck, Toadblatt, Blandy, Jack, and, most, annoyingly, Boogie. Each thought it to be best if the demons and creatures lead, as the humans were considered soft, and useless. Thankfully, those issues never had to be resolved by Mandy-others beasts put their foot out to shut Hoop and his followers up. Mainly fighting for the humans' cause were Jeff and Velma; one for his self-proclaimed 'father', the other because Grim was in trouble. Both wanted to help their kin.

It was lucky that they had stopped the rebels. If Mandy had been forced to do so, things would have been far more violent.

Now, only fifteen minutes later, she had no more need to bark out commands. Billy, still clinging to her side, gaped.

Before them stood a masterpiece, yet rough around the edges. It was all in such a simple, but beautiful formation that even the ever-malcontent blonde had to say, it was a fine piece of work. Especially considering what she had to work with.

Monsters lined the perimeter of the army, their size and bulk to be used as means of defense. Not only were they large obstacles to have to push through, but nearly all of them had claws or teeth of some kind to fend off any attackers. The humans, and virtually every other being not of supernatural status was kept more to the middle. Each had been fitted with a weapon of somesort; anything Arpiagus could conjure, or anything they found lying around, was used. Rocks, spears, swords...every and anything. Though many had no clue how to weild such objects, they would have to figure it out soon.

As she had promised, Mandy was in the very front of the pack, despite being a human. Surrounding her were the old man, Persephone, Billy, and, to her distaste, Mindy and Irwin. A twist of bad luck had allowed the two classmates to catch up to her and the redhead while she was sorting things out, and they hadn't left her since-for protection, and to be near someone they knew. In such a moment of confusion, it didn't even matter that it was Mandy.

"M-Mandy?"

Billy whispered suddenly, his voice stained with terror. The blonde turned away from her army for a second, following his gaze and pointed finger. Her eyes trailed to the edge of the gorge, before the vast drop below. It was only maybe a couple hundred feet away, at most. And, from the looks of it, the ground appeared to be...moving?

"Arpiagus-use the scythe. Now."

She commanded of the cloaked elder, and he raised the blade into the air, allowing a few sparks of light to explode from the tip. That was the signal.

They were coming, marching in an almost robotic fashion up the hill. The enemy seemed a great deal less afraid of what was about to happen than those who fought for freedom. Yowling and roaring bloody murder, they reached the top of the gorge-only to find something they had not expected; a group of adversaries.

Mandy's battalion began to move forward also, though not with such unthinking and automated grace as Deacarabia's. Once recovered from their initial shock, his army charged, ready to rip through whatever was between them, and ascendancy.

She looked at Billy as their pace quickened, their own shouts grew louder, and the space between them and the other army diminished altogether.

"Stay right next to me, pinhead. That, or be killed right here and now."

Both armies clashed, and the turmoil began.

**Things seem to be getting more off-kilter by the second, eh? And it hasn't even gotten to the best part yet. ;) I wish I could have written a more intricant explanation of what was going on, who was there, and who said what, but that would take far too many chapters. :P**


	23. So It's Come To This

**Disclaimer: **These characters are not mine. They never have been, and they never will be. Unless Maxwell Atoms says so, because he owns them. I do, however, reserve the rights for a few characters. And if you don't know who they are by now, what're you doing this far into the story?

**AN: Well, here's the fighting/gore/blood people've been wanting. It's too bad I couldn't go into overly intricate details, because I wanted to. :P **

**This was written to the songs 'Duel of Fates' and 'Requiem For a Dream'. Amazing, what a great help appropriate music can be.**

**On with,**

**Chapter 23**

Without a moment's hesitation, the monsters collided with each other, and the first blood was drawn. The two armies seemed to meld into one as creatures and humans alike began to lose themselves in a fight. Looking around, it was clearly visible that one person was no match for a single demon on the opposition; quickly realizing this, the humans began to form groups of up to a dozen.  
Billy watched in amazement as a half dozen of his classmates-most of whom would have easily fallen to a bully-jumped onto the back of a huge monster, yelling and screaming at one another, and piercing its scaly flesh with their makeshift weapons. Even innocent Pud'n could just barely be seen a ways off, teeth bared. And, confused as always, the redhead could not understand the sudden shift of personality.

Such were the effects of war.

"Hurry up."

Snapping him from his daze, Mandy, quietly but efficiently, also got his feet moving. There was no time to stay in one place for very long, for that meant they were easier targets. A flick of her head signaled that he follow her, and they began to wade through the mass of creatures. After a moment, Billy saw a familiar glint within her hands, which he recognized as the scythe. She had, only minutes before impact, demanded that Persephone give her the blade. She would need it more that anyone.  
With an almost supernatural grace and ease, Mandy began to slice her way through all in her path. Severed limbs and cries of anguish littered the battlefield with every stroke she made, though her face never wavered. Horrified, Billy resorted to clinging to the back of her pink attire, only able to watch. He too had a weapon; a long, very pointy stick, for that was one of the only items he could not easily hurt himself with. But he couldn't bring himself to use it.  
Billy had played combat games all his life, fascinated by the explosions and blood that streamed across the glowing screen…but now that he actually saw it happening, he was less enthusiastic.

"Mandy?" He whimpered, as he sidestepped a fallen body, "I don't like this."

She kept on moving and cutting through the crowd, unsure of how to answer. He looked up to her, dependant right now on her providing some sort of comforting answer. However, she had never known how to comfort, as she had never tried. It was unlike her in every single way.

"Just keep following me."

Billy nodded, and shuddered. He gave an unexpected yelp as a hairy body nearly landed on top of him, its ugly snout curled into a snarl even during its final moments of life.  
Even in the air, there was battle; black monsters, as well as almost angelic-looking ones, hovered above the clamoring masses, circling each other. In mid-air they struck, clawing and tearing into the others' eyes, and screeching as one of their own fell, beaten. Their fights carried onto the ground, where the clashing of wings and talons mixed with the pound of flesh against flesh.  
One of the black monsters pulled away, a gaping hole in place of its stomach. Yelling and flapping in distraught, it spiraled to the ground, searching for something to take with it. Its glare rested on one particularly weak looking human, his body almost adjoined with that of a girl's. That would be its last kill before it died.

Billy had less than a split second to react before he found himself being lifted upwards, in the grip of a pair of deadly claws. His arms began to flail wildly, trying in vain to keep connected to his friend's clothes. It was no use against the pull of the monster, though, and he let go, dropping his stick in the process.

"MANDY!!!"

The redhead screamed for what he was worth, as the bird flapped to gain altitude. With a sharp turn of her head, Mandy found herself staring directly into the mess of feathers and a struggling boy. Her mouth gaped only for a second, then shut firm again. Taking action was something she would not hesitate about.  
Scowling more than ever, she rushed at the demon, who had just managed to lift her idiot a few feet into the air, and gave one quick clean cut.  
Two halves of a monster fell at her feet, as did a now messy boy. Covered in innards, he scrambled to get to his feet, and as far away from the corpse as possible. The blonde assisted only by pulling him up, away from the wreck, and continuing onwards. A fanged beast tried to block her path, but the adrenaline still pulsing through her veins gave her more than enough strength to strike it down. Shaking uncontrollably, Billy now hugged her arm, refusing to let go for anything. She couldn't really blame him. 

They were nearing the edge of the gorge now, where Mandy knew Decarabia to be. And, if her suspicions were correct, Grim as well. 

A human narrowly avoided a swing of her weapon, and he stopped his shouting for a moment to do a double take. His face lit up when he realized it was a familiar couple, and he tried his best to trudge over to them, still defending against his own attackers with a silver dagger.

"Good God, it is nice to see you two!" He shouted above the uproar. "Amanda and I have had the trouble of our lives trying to get away from these brutes!"

A frail, meek girl poked her head from behind William's back, and Mandy found herself staring, yet again, at an almost eerie duplication of their own situation. She didn't mull over it for very long, though, as her attention was always needed elsewhere. Still hacking away at any scaled, furred, horned, and fanged creatures that came at her, she did not respond. The leap of another demon separated the two duos from each other, and Billy and Mandy found themselves only able to hear a loud roar, and the slash of nails. A girl screamed a few feet away in Will and Amanda's direction, and they could soon afterwards hear the boy.

"Amanda! Dammit! You **bastard!...**Ugh…"

There was a squish, and a thump, followed by a pleased growl. The demon leapt upon another group of humans, leaving two unmoving bodies behind. One wore a blue cap, the other, a pink dress.

And still, the body count rose.

-GABM-

The skeleton squirmed within Decarabia's grasp, but he held him with an iron fist. Smirking into his bony face, the bird demon chuckled. He had Grim beat-or so he thought.

_**"You willlll help me regain my brother, Reeeeeaper. With all this energy inside of me, I could desssstroy you in the blink of an eye." **_

He winked at Grim, and laughed at his own taunting joke. But the bird had never been patient enough to think things through, as in this case.

"I could't help ya even if I wanted to. I only bring souls to de Underworld-I can't bring 'em back." He smiled. Persephone had always been the one to deal with Life, and the repossession of a lost soul. There was no way Decarabia could force him into it.

The demon scowled in realization that what the Reaper was saying was true. He cursed himself for allowing Persephone to escape so easily, for now, she was a crucial ingredient in obtaining domination.  
It was no matter to him, though. He knew her to be fighting outside, along with the children. As soon as he stepped in himself, he could kill two birds with one stone.

_**"I'llll be back for you, Reaper." **_He growled menacingly, and cast the skeleton back into his prison.

Grim landed hard on his already sore back, once more enclosed within the walls of Life. But still, his hope was not lost. He remembered how the Goddess had managed to escape with the scythe in her hands….if she was out there now, then so was Jody. And, if he concentrated hard enough, he was sure he could recall his blade.

The robed figure stood silently as Decarabia beat his wings, and shot through the air, into the valley. Hoping against hopes that he could get to the children in time.

-GABM-

Already, a few of Mandy's kind were pouring down the hill, into the very pit of the gorge. Though they did not know the importance of the location as the blonde did, they knew that it was the opposition's home base. If they could beat them there, everything would be over-or so they thought. No one but Billy, Mandy, and Persephone truly knew or understood what lay waiting for them in the valley.

The teenaged girl was growing tired, though the battle had only been raging for no more than ten minutes. It was becoming a strain to keep her arms steady, as they begged her for rest. If not for her overpowering will, she may have buckled down, as so many had before her.  
Behind her, Billy still cowered, although he tried to make more of an effort to help; as they neared the heart of the army, the creatures had become more tightly packed. He acted as a second pair of eyes, yelling out or pointing if anything came their way from behind. After that, it was only a matter of cutting down whatever attacked. He felt a bit better, knowing that hwat he was doing made sure both he _and _the blonde remained safe.

And, quite suddenly, they too were running downwards, nearly tumbling head over heels as the steepness of the valley set in. They slipped and slid down the dirty, rocky gorge, gripping each other for support-only to slide right into the spikes of a dying beast. The creature's spikes impaled the both of them, creating fresh wounds in their arms and legs. Their flesh burned in agony at the depth of their cuts, but they managed to pull away from the unmoving creature, splattering blood against each others clothing. Billy let a few tears slip from his eyes, but did his best not to scream as he had before. As Mandy had explained, that would only draw more attention to them. So he resorted only to reaffirming himself to her arm, and continuing down the walls of the gorge. Reaching their destination took only a minute more.

Now, spread before them, was a whole new battlefield.  
And, right in the center of it, was their main foe.

Decarabia spread his appendages out, having seen them before they saw him. The force he created knocked all those around them away, or off their feet. He wanted a clear path, with no interferences or hope of assistance. The children would die alone, with no one to help them. It was actually a very simple matter to clear a space from all others, as few dared to go near him at all. Few besides the two humans who had just appeared in front of him.  
Many of those fighting stopped and stared, despite the intensity of their situation. All of them wanted to know what this incredible being was going to do to these two mortal children.

Mandy bared her teeth and narrowed her eyes. This was one of the brothers who had started the whole mess they were in, that was the cause of their woes, the bloodshed, Billy's injury…  
Decarabia thought the exact same of the two teens. If not for them, he and Broxas' plans would have succeeded much sooner, and his brother would still be alive. The electricity between the two sides was terrifying. Still, he grinned, and took one massive step in their direction, trying to press them against the cavern's wall.

But Mandy only raised the scythe above her head, ready to strike him at the first move he made. She could feel the redhead grab onto her arm tightly now, face aghast. Then, there was a slight tug on the black rod. Thinking for a moment that it was only Billy pulling on it, she waved her hand-this was most certainly _not_ the time to act up. But turning ever so slightly, she could see it was not him. Some invisible force, one with great power, was pulling the blade from her grasp. She struggled against the magic, but there was no way to hold onto it. She felt the black handle slip from her grasp, as the scythe flew in another direction. Directly into a small cave beside them-whose ceiling had been ripped off.  
The girl took a step forward, but the object did not return, and she cursed heavily.

Anger swept through her, though she was unsure of exactly what to be angry at. All she could be sure of was that she had just lost their only means of defending themselves.

The demon watched, an ever-present smirk on his beak, as the scythe dissappeared from sight. Now, the task at hand would be even simpler-all he had to do was swipe at them with his talons. But first, he would milk the torture. His other half, the semi-consious part of him that had some good left, all but screamed not to hurt them. But, of course, it was overpowered. Decarabia took another step towards them, flaring his wings and letting loose a shrill squawk of triumph. At first, the duo did not know what to make of this peculiar action, until the monster brought his head down to their level. Now eye to eye with them, he boomed:

_**"To think, you've both caused me sssssso much greif, and now here you arrrre, trapped like miccce!"**_

He faced the blonde, who did not bat an eyelash. She stood her ground firmly, moving slightly in front of Billy. The redhead gave a slight gasp, and something from deep inside caused his heart to beat faster. Decarabia saw this, absorbed it...and grinned even wider.

_**"You, my dearrrrrr," **_he began slowly, _** "have been more of a pain to me than anyyyyone else. You'rrrrre a smart one, I can see that. Trrrying to protect your little frriend there-what a sweet thing to do. Howww would you like to die firrst?"**_

His red eyes glinted in the dim light, seeming to grow brighter with pleasure. But, if one was paying attention, they could see a slight flicker behind them-all that was left of his humanity. The flickjer died out within seconds, leaving only an empty stare.

_**"What a shame that such a prrrretty, must go to wasste, eh? Let's have your idiot frrrriend here watch. I can tell he won't enjoyyyy it."**_

He raked one claw through her blonde hair, playing with her mind, trying to get her to suppress and break down. But she did no such thing, and, in spite of the circumstances, managed to slap his toenail away. Decarabia growled manacingly as she slapped him, frustration taking its toll, and he raised his claws. Still not saying a word, Mandy braced herself for what might happen. The idiot behind her seemed sickened, and confused. He knew he was feeling something then, other than fear, and he knew he had to do something about it...if only he could figure it out...

_**"You've decided yourrrr own fate then, humman."**_

Something inside of Billy snapped then, and the disjointed and unfinished thoughts that swam in his mind finally fell into place.

As the huge foot rose to pierce her skin, Mandy shut her eyes tight. But there was no impact, and she only felt something brush lightly against her front.

Billy, never one to even defend himself, had stood in front of her. And, though his eyes were watery and his body was trembling, he did not look like he was about to move.

**AN: Next chappie's gonna be a doozy, I can tell ya already. Hehe.**


	24. Love Speaks Through Actions, Not Words

**Disclaimer: **These characters are not mine. They never have been, and they never will be. Unless Maxwell Atoms says so, because he owns them. I do, however, reserve the rights for a few characters. And if you don't know who they are by now, what're you doing this far into the story?!

**AN: Well, this is the chapter that started everything. Even before MMIH had a plot, I wanted this to be in it. I pretty much built everything else around the idea. :P Respectively, this is also the shortest chapter. Enjoy the clicheness!!!…or don't.**

**(Thanks, Endsey) ;)**

**On with,**

**Chapter 24**

Both Decarabia and Mandy were in shock; neither had predicted this of the boy. But their reactions differed greatly. Mandy tried to push him out of the way, demanding that she be the one to take whatever the demon had in store for them.

"Let go of me, dammit! I can handle him on my own!"

But he didn't budge, and no matter how hard she tried to get him to move, he remained affixed to his spot. Dec, albeit cruel, applauded Billy's actions.

"_**How verrrrry sweet of you, boy. Thissss is either your greatest act of braverrrye, or greatessssst act of stupidity. I'm not quite sssure!" **_

He gave a crazed laugh that lasted longer than intended. Then his face grew hard again, and he brought his beak up so that it was touching the boy's nose. Taking a menacing step forward, he finally pinned them both right onto the side of the cavern.

"_**Whatevvvvver the case, it wasss a very foolish move."**_

Billy trembled as the monster's breath hit his face, yet still managed to hold Mandy back. Where this sudden burst of strength came from, she couldn't tell…but it unnerved her.

"_**You undersssstand human, that even when you die, I can still killll her? I'llll rip off her skin first, gauge her eyes, tear her to piecesssss!"**_

Billy's look of fear lifted with every word he spoke, and the irrational anger that sometimes plagued him rose up.

"Shut up!!!"

He cried, tears steaming from his eyes. Why couldn't he think straight? His vision was clouded by tears, and his mind was clouded by hate. Hate at this monster, for first touching Mandy, then talking so awfully about her. He would _not _allow him to lay a claw on her again-so long as he was around.

"You can't hurt Mandy! I won't let you, you big, stupid ugly…thing!"

Decarabia smiled.

"_**We havvve a fighter here, do we? Your…infatuation with this girl is mossst amussing. How willll she react?"**_

Billy turned around then, staring into the face of the girl, his eyes darting wildly. He was so unsure of what he was feeling. Only that it was good, bad, comforting, and ripping him apart, all at the same time. From the very beginning of their trip, it had grown a little more inside him, though he hadn't noticed it as clearly before. Now, this peculiar feeling felt like it was ready to burst from his stomach. It gave him a headache trying to figure things out. Words formed at the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't quite put them into sentences. His back still facing the monster, he tried to explain things to the blonde.

"I-I know stuff, but I don't…and it really, really hurts. The stupid words are all stuck in my mouth, and I wanna say them…but I dunno whats the heck they are!" He allowed another tear to slide down his cheek, and his face reddened. He was growing impatient with himself.

"I'm stupid, and I know you don't like me, but…"

He brought his hands up to his chest, again gesturing that something was going on inside his heart. Mandy's eyes widened as she realized what he was trying to say, even before he did.

"Billy, stop it. There's something behind you right now, that'll _kill _you if you don't pay attention."

But even as she spoke those words, she could not bring herself to look past the boy. She tried to move out of his grasp again, but he held tight to her shoulders, squeezing them firmly.

"_**Yessss, I will." **_

The redhead hyperventilated a moment, and sweat ran down his neck. Decarabia loomed closer.

"Billy, let go of me!"

Suddenly and unexpectedly, Billy pressed his lips to hers. Time stopped, and for a moment, the danger seemed to disappear behind them.

He could not tell her what love he felt, but he could more than show her.

Mandy remained still, not wiping at her mouth, hitting, or pushing him away. She had no idea what to do. The boy's eyebrows shot up, as though he himself could not believe what he had just done. He pulled away quickly, and immediately began to apologize.

"Mandy! I didn't meanta make you mad, I won't do it again, promise, I just….I'm sorry!..."

"Don't be."

He stopped and gasped. She didn't smile, and her face remained blank. She would never openly show how she felt. But she would not let him say he was sorry. Billy seemed rejoiced that Mandy was not upset him, and a wide grin slowly replaced his apologetic face. He found her hands, and held them.

"You're not mad? That's awesome! That's great! That's….AAAAAHHHHHH!"

"BILLY!"

He screamed as Decarabia grabbed a hold around his middle, pulling him away from the blonde in mid-sentence. The bird's talons ripped through his skin as he roughly brought him up to his face. Laughing, the demon beamed.

"_**Allll this time, I thought the girllll was unfeeling! How wrong I was…this will only heighten my enjoyment."**_

"Let him go." Mandy growled. If only she had the scythe at that moment, she would lay waste to the bastard before he had time to move.

But as she had no weapon of any kind, she was powerless to stop what he did.

The black monster disregarded her threat with glee, fully aware that she could not do a thing. Instead, he tightened his talons, squeezing the air out of the boy as though he were a rag doll. Billy's face went pale, and he struggled to fill his lungs with air.

From the corner of her eye, Mandy could see a robed figure hurrying in their direction, holding something in his hands.

The scythe.

Billy beat against the black talons that held him, but it was like trying to open a steel trap. The Jutanio brought him very close to his beak, grinning evilly.

"_She doesssssn't care about you, can't you see that?" _He whispered into the boy's ear. _"Why waste your energy tryyying to help her."_

Though he could not speak, Billy still responded. Using what little energy he had left in him, he shook his head defiantly. Decarabia snarled, unused to being objected. Mandy's aggravated yells caught up to him.

"_**Why should I do anyyyyything? You made it verrry clear before that death does not faze you. I'm surrrre you'll pay no mind if he dies. You, wench, killed my brother, the only living thing I ever loved. And nowww, I will repay the favor."**_

"Don't you lay a hand on him!"

"_**Toooo late."**_

As the blonde stared and willed the skeleton to move faster, Decarabia held Billy out in front of him, releasing his grip slightly, so that the boy may be able to scream.

The redhead outstretched his arms towards her, begging that he be allowed to go back to her, to help if she needed it. His eyes bore into her, as the Jutanio chuckled.

"Mandy!"

A single black talon, ending with a deadly claw, soared through the air. It connected with Billy's torso, ripping through skin and tissue as though it was paper. The boy screeched in agony, squirming in a desperate attempt to stop the pain. Decarabia twisted his claw, carrying out the torture even further. His claw reached through to the other side of his chest, so that his body was completely impaled. He waited until the redhead's breathing grew ragged, listening for the final gasp, the final beat of a heart.

The blonde ran forward, but the demon had only to look at her to restrain her. Whatever invisible wall he had between them, she could not break through.

Then, he pulled the accursed nail from Billy's back. Blood splattered for the last time against his white shirt, staining it almost completely crimson. He fell silent, and his body grew limp. The familiar shine of light behind his pupils dimmed.

Mandy looked on in horror as his bowed down; muscles no longer functioning. The demon held the unmoving boy a moment, before casting him at the girl's feet. Blood dripped from his nail, and a huge whole was visible through his midsection.

It seemed so impossible; Billy had survived countless mishaps, always ending up fine some way or the other. The girl had almost grown to think that nothing bad could ever happen to him.

The body landed.

She flew to Billy's side, but there was nothing she could do. No pulse, no breathing, no ever-present smile….no life.

He was dead.

**AN: Oh My God, I killed Billy. Ima bastard. Hmmm…I wanna hear the readers' thoughts on this chapter, even if it's anonymous. What're ya thinking? Good bad, needs more emotion stuffs? I know I went all cliché "OMG nooooes don't die!" But that was intended. ;)**

**What do you expect? I want to hear as many opinions as I can….**


	25. I Will Redeem My Tormented Soul

**Disclaimer: **These characters are not mine. They never have been, and they never will be. Unless Maxwell Atoms says so, because he owns them. I do, however, reserve the rights for a few characters. And if you don't know who they are by now, what're you doing this far into the story?!

**AN: So, so much pain. Credits to Nightwish.**

**On with**

**Chapter 25**

All words seemed lost-there was nothing Mandy could do was stand and stare at the bloody corpse. Still there were no tears in her eyes. After all these years, she had never learned how to cry.

_**"Sadenning, isn't it? Now we both know what it feelsss like to lose something. Something...very close to usssss..."**_

Decarabia spoke, in a way much different than usual. His eyes closed, and for a second it looked as if the giant monster was holding something back-a forlorn look. To those who could see past his crooked appearance, a sliver of regret and depression swept across the face shrouded in evil. But when that moment passed, and his eyes reopened, they showed no feelings.

_**"He was a fisty one in the end, though, wasn't he? I'd wager his blood is stillllll filled with adrenaline. Hehe."**_

Grim was only a short way away now, but not close enough to prevent what happened next. Mandy, still heaving with rage beside the corpse, could stand it no longer. Fists ready to strike the demon, she ran at him, cursing and spewing whatever insults first came to mind. But it was only as simple a task as to look at her for Dec to stop her in her tracks. She was thrown back against the wall of the cavern with a flare of his wings; the amused look he wore only strengthened. Adding to this enjoyment was the fact that she now bled from several cuts and scrapes across her body.

_**"Red is such a wonderful colorrrr, eh? Let's see how you look wearing it."**_

He advanced towards her, his serpent-like neck craning to get a better view of her crumpled form. This was it, she thought. He was going to kill her, the army would lose, and humanity would be lost. But, as it has already been said, time after time, the enemy will make a mistake. A foolish desire to gloat was all it took. Decarabia lifted his talon as if to claw her as he had done to Billy, but he never touched her. Instead, he trailed the claw along the pool of blood now gathered beside the body. Dipping it down into the red liquid, he managed to get enough onto the nail that it was completely scarlet. Then, as revolting as it was, he flicked it onto her. Each individual droplet flecked across her face, her arms...everything. It took everything she had left not to throw up.

That was all it took.

He grinned and reached for her, but was stopped almost instantly. That final display of animus gripped at his charred soul like a hook, battering his already contorted mind. He had not always been this way. He had not always been evil. He had not always been so quick to give up, as he had to the power of greed. He _would _fight it. Images of his past life resurfaced:

_Not a black demon, with wings like a bat and hooked beak like a predator, but white, silver, and head of a simple bird. He and his brother had always been close, as their parents were never heard from. At times they imagined they had been born of the earth, having no real mother or father. They always towered among other beings, but they never noticed. Nothing mattered but to play, be free, live. Live. He could not recall how it had happened, although Broxas had shared it with him._

_He had died, in an accident that his brother said he would not understand. But Broxas had mourned over him for days. No other creatures of the Underworld cared that some bird had fallen. All but she._

_Her brunette locks and caring face dried the tears themselves, and the eldest of the two found himself trusting her as quickly as if he had known her his whole life. Behind her eyes there was a sadness, but that would not stop her. She took pity on the creature, and placed her hand above the younger brother's heart. She moved to his beak as Broxas watched in fascination, and drew forth a single breath. That was all it took for him to be brought back into the world. Both he and his older sibling were so captivated by such wonderful new powers...they wanted to have their own. So much, in fact, that they followed the lady in white. Over the course of a millennia she showed them powers they had never dreamed of. She brought them along with her as she used her magic to bring back countless other souls. And with each passing day, their want-no, need- for such abilities grew stronger. And with each passing minute, their hearts grew blacker. So overcome with greed were they, that it began to show in their appearance and actions, and she was forced to lock them away. But they plotted. And when she released them after years, to eliminate a pair of worthless children, she thought perhaps they had changed. That over time they had reverted back to their old selves; that they were her allies again._

_But her trust was thrown in her face, and now here he was. Black as ever._

That was hundreds of years ago, and he had never again given much thought towards his other self, that felt pity or mercy. But this new explosion of power had done more than just drown his evil heart; it resurfaced his old one. No one can be pure evil.

His old soul grabbed at the new one, of pure sadism. The force was so strong that he took a few steps backwards, his talons forced back onto the ground to keep his stabilty. Mandy looked on in confusion as he staggered and swayed, his wings fanning. Grim finally arrived as she continued to stare, and he looked just as baffled as she did.

"Tank goodness I caught up to you when I did! I got no idea what's goin' on wit him, but I say we just grab Billy and leave, now!"

Mandy said nothing, and he bent down to lift her from the ground.

"What is it?!...Oh."

Only then did he catch sight of the body, streaked with blood and dirt, and eyes that were always so eerily open. He also noticed the red dots across her clothes and skin, and put two and two together. He could think of nothing to say the releave the sorrow in the air. All he could do was keep tugging at her arm.

"Don't look at it, Mandy. Just don't look at him! If we don't move you're gonna end up just like dat!"

She refused to look at him, but uttered a firm command.

"Bring him back, Grim. Now."

"Now is not de time, child!"

"Do it!"

"I couldn't, even if I wanted to! I can't bring 'em back from de dead."

She fell silent. There was nothing else she could say right then, so she got up slowly.

"Fine by me."

Mandy shot her arm out towards Grim, and he jumped out of the way. But it was not he she was after, as it soon became obvious. As soon as he had loosened his grip on it, she snatched his scythe away, finding little difficulty in tugging it free from his bony hands. The skeleton tried to grab it back, but she was already sprinting away, as fast as her feet would carry her. Decarabia would not leave the cavern alive after what he had done, and the blonde would be quick to deliver his punishment.

The bird began to twitch violently as she neared him, his self-consious half still fighting to regain control.

"Stop it! It pleaded, "Stop this madness!"

Both sides tore his mind into two, but it became evident which was beginning to win the battle. Still shaking, the Jutanio began to squawk wildly, calling out a few certain names;

"Brrrroxas! Persssephone!"

He had lost both, in his hunger for dominance.

Mandy watched as the demon loomed to his full height, and the light behind his eyes began to flicker like a light switch. They were blood red, and then they were pale blue. Blood red, pale blue. Blood red...pale blue. They remained that color, and the half was allowed a moment to speak.

"Helllp me! Helllllp me!...Not what...aah, Wanted!!!" He screeched and ripped out a few of his feathers with his hooked beak, the pale eyes darting around, looking for someone to help him. Breathing deeply, he gave another spasm, and let loose a roar.

"Stop it! STOP IT!!! I don't want to hurt anybody!Oh, please..." He bore into the girl as he stood over her. She looked so tiny, so frail...he needed to apologize, if only...He was tired-so very, very tired...

The eyes flickered back to red.

_**"HRRROOOOAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"**_

_**"Come here, girrrrl!"**_

Decarabia bellowed and resumed his former view of the girl. Yes, she looked so delicate once again. But this time, he felt no need to say he was sorry. He puffed out his chest and enclosed them within his signature force field, preventing her from running away if she wanted to. Not that those were her intentions at all. The Jutanio charged towards her, head bent low, and mouth open to rip through her. Mandy ran to the right, dodging a claw as it sliced the air above her. But the very tip caught her arm, and she screamed in pain as the cut was brushed by the cold nail. She swung the scythe around violently, slicing through one scaly talon, and sending the bird reeling and withdrawing his weapons. Blood splurted from the wound, a hideous, black liquid. It was as if he were leaking ink instead of the expected bodily fluids. But instead of the pleasure she had expected to feel while causing him pain, Mandy only stepped back a few paces and watched with wide eyes, feeling hollow and empty. This creature had revealed two halves to itself; and in this fight she was destroying both of the pieces of his soul.

Decarabia screeched and whirled, yelling in such frustration that the very ground began to shake, and the walls of the cavern began to tremble. Shrill cries bubbled from deep within, the madness within his body siezing his actions. Out of fury he bit himself, and the pain opened the gate for his softer self to step forward again. Blood continued to pour from his legs, but he refused to give up.

"Take me, girl! Take me!"

Mandy raised an eyebrow in confusion and uncertainty, bringing the scythe only closer to her face. To her surprise, the demon began to laugh.

"I understand now, don't you see?! I know how to fix this! Hahahaha!" A single tear slid down his cheek as he laughed in happiness and sudden understanding. It was a tear of acid, but a tear nonetheless...

The ground gave another leap as the Jutanio threw himself to the ground, his huge mass nearly knocking her from her feet. Though his limbs were twitching and clawing uncontrollably, still partially intent on hurting the child. She was forced to back further away in order to avoid being clipped by another dagger, only moving farther from the writhing creature. He squirmed again, and the past mind grew weary, barely hanging on. In a final pleade of forgiveness and succor, he forced himself to stretch his long neck out in front of the blonde.

"Kill me!"

"What?!"

Was the bird mad? The hollow feeling returned to her stomach, and the sense of an empty victory. But there was little time to address such matters, as the eyes began to flicker once more.

"Kill me! KILL ME! _**Grraaah!..**_DO IT NOW!!!_**" **_

It wanted to be the last remaining state of mind when he died. So, as she raised the silver blade above her head, the blue eyes used the last of their strength to see it happen. To watch as she slit his throat...to feel it happen as his mind-both parts of it-began to shut down, to collapse into themselves, and to cease to function. He could not replace the life he had taken by dying himself. But he could assure that no one else would die at his hands. This was the end of his existance, and he knew it well. He was dying, and yet he felt no fear, no sadness. He would not rule all universes. He would not rule alongside his brother. But he could join him. He knew it to be true as his vision began to fail him, as the pink and yellow blur before him brought down the scythe once more, and he was no more.

Only dead.

Ah, such sweet, glorious releif...

-GABM-

Mandy could see his enormous form stiffen up, his blue eyes roll to the back of his head, and the life escape him. Decarabia had been beaten by himself, and only he was to blame for it. A realization dawned upon the teenager as the dust settled around his unmoving form; this was the end of the war, the end of the turmoil and destruction. The rest of his army would not be able to continue without a leader to lead them, as they were little more than his puppets, and he, the pupeteer. Grim, who had not been able to help Mandy while she was trapped within Decarabia's force field, rushed over to her, Billy's body slung over his shoulder.

"You killed him, Mandy. I know when their time is up." He said quietly. She turned her head to face him, an expression on her face that he could not read.

"Then do your job, Grim, and let's get out of here."

"Child...your arm?..."

"What does it matter, now?" She sighed, and her eyes slid from the redhead to her bleeding appendage. Then she frowned.

Roughly, she slammed the scythe into his chest, and removed Billy from him. She took the carcass onto her own shoulder, and motioned for the Reaper to bring the demon to his rightful place. Taking a deep breath, Grim nodded, and walked over and through the pools of blood, over to the bird. The black form, the symbol of such anguish for so long a period of time, lay helpless. Grim closed his eyes, taking in the spirit's force floating around him. It was a much stronger aura than most other souls projected. But that came as little surprise. He needed only for the blade to touch the cool scales for the soul to explode from within; it burst out with such ferocity that even the blonde snapped her head back to see what had happened.

It was as though a shadow peeled itself from the Jutanio, rising up into the air around him. Blackness rose up, forming itself almost into the shape of a bird itself, squawking loudly. This black impurity of his soul continued to stream from the body, uncovering the new form beneath it. Steam seemed to come off the demon as it shrunk, deteriorated, and the black shadow drifted down. Sinking into the ground to finally reveal the Decarabia beneath the folds of darkness.

And there he lay, back to his normal size; no more the size of a skyscraper, but still larger than anything from Earth itself. He was beautiful, as the uglyness had completely melted away. Gleaming like a silver falcon, and no longer resembling a dragon or demon. His ripping talons were only for perching, his beak only for carrying food, his wings only for soaring on a bubble of air. This form, too, began to evanesce, dissipating and dissapearing like a vapor. The old Dec's soul also rose into the air, at long last set free by the Reaper's blade. This shining cloud came from the chest of the bird, and took on the shape of an orb. Glowing brightly, the circle began to hum, if one listened closely. Mandy and Grim listened in awe as this grew louder and louder, until the singing could be heard quite clearly. The Reaper had known some spirits to leave with song, but none so powerful;

_How I wished, for soothing rain..._

_All I wished was to dream again;_

_My loving heart, lost in the dark,_

_for hope I'd have given my everything..._

_Once and for all, and all for once;_

_Evil my sin, forevermore..._

And the silver form was painted black, as the shimmering orb rose into higher and higher, until it had escaped the cavern's bars. It was no longer restrained by the flesh, and so it had fled in joy. Those who were paying attention swore a second orb joined it right before it left Hell, dancing and playing with it, just like the times of yore. But the black form remained hovering only a few feet above the now useless body. The body which had again reverted itself to the form Mandy, Billy and Grim were so used to; the form of a monstrous demon. The black soul struggled, but seemed forced to remain alongside the body.

The blonde and the skeleton lept back and covered their eyes as flames erupted from the cave's floor, streaking up and around the dark carcass where it lay. It licked at the body and its soul, as the black shadow screeched and seemed to try even harder to escape. Shackles crept up from under the earth and sprung forward, magically latching onto the dead legs, and around the dead neck. Fire shot up again as the body was dragged down into the pit of Hell, sinking down into eternal remorse, and the black soul with it. Though screeching, it continued to slide down within the depths, until it could be heard no more. Nothing was left now of Decarabia. No body, no trace if a feather. Nothing but the scars and memories of those he had hurt to prove that he had ever existed.

Mandy and Grim turned to each other as the last remaining smoke cleared, and a mutual feeling of respect flowed between the both of them. They would never forget what they had just seen, though they had been the only ones. And it was a secret that they would never share, nor would they want to share.

Both left the scene of death, as the war was not over just yet, one carrying a weight upon her shoulders. Each noticed only as they began their march that all the blood had been cleared, and the ground was spotless. Hell had absorbed every last drop of both Billy and the Demon's remains.

**AN: ...No one can be pure evil. Not humans, not hellish beings. We all have an outlet for kindness of some sort.**


	26. As It Once Was

**Disclaimer: **Billy, Mandy, and all other assorted fruit snacks—I mean characters—belong not to I, but Maxwell Atoms.

**AN: Wow. It has been 2 and a half years since I last updated this story. Procrastination and the short attention span of any 13 year old kid left the story to accumilate dust for quite some time. Over that time interests shifted and writing styles changed, until everything came back full circle. So now here I am, 16, and updating yet again. This story was so near completion when it was abandoned. I think it's only fair to finish the tale, despite most of its readers having moved on. Who knows? Perhaps updating and completing this will make at least a few people who have been waiting just a little bit happier. I know it'll lift a weight from my shoulders to have it finished. So here we go.**

Chapter 26,

-KKBS

It seemed…impossible.

The cause of so much suffering…so much pain, had been silenced within but a few moments. There was no climactic battle, no final showdown where the cunning and strength of both parties would determine who would be the final victor, recipient of glory and triumph.

No. There didn't have to be.

As is the case with most tales, the villain simply defeated himself. He had been planning and crafting his own undoing for centuries, ever since the birth of that hideous 'other' side; the one that levelled his kindness and emotion and weighed the true Decarabia's mind down with thoughts of greed and selfishness. This separate entity was what had infiltrated both of the Jutanios' minds when they had witnessed what true power could be attained through cruel actions.

It was also this side that had drowned the silver light of true being. And, it was this true side that had also been killed along with the blackness.

Perhaps that, Mandy thought, was why this victory had been so bittersweet. It didn't feel like anything had been gained. There was no pleasure in achieving her goal of eliminating the cause of their suffering. All that could be felt was the pricking reminder that a once decent creature had been lost. In fact, hundreds of decent creatures had been lost. Including one in particular that…

"Mandy."

The Reaper snapped her from her thoughts, gently touching her shoulder as he whispered her name. She knew what he was about to tell her. There was no point in revelling in the pain for too long. The final battle may have been won, after all, but the war was not quite over.

"Eliminate them, Grim. Get them out of my sight."

The entire valley had been silenced as each being stopped what they were doing to witness the encounter between this strange blonde human and the leader of the army of darkness. A low murmur now spread across the crowd as the human had proved to be the victor, followed by some shrieks and confused shouts of terror.

"What are we going to do now? Leader is gone, Leader is gone!"

"Head for the hills, I say!"

"They have the scythe! R-r-run!"

Several of the black monsters simply threw down their weapons and let go of whomever they were fighting to turn on their heels and run in the opposite direction, scared witless and unable to comprehend what to do without a master to tell them how to act or bring them their rewards. Just like the sheep they were.

"Cowards." Mandy breathed as the fleeing crowd grew larger. Her dark eyebrows furrowed and a look of absolute hatred glazed over her eyes.

"Kill them all now, Grim. Before they can escape."

The skeleton simply gave her a worried look, despite not having the eyes to properly do so. He gazed at her face, which she had promptly turned away from him, to the lifeless form that still hung over her shoulder.

"No, child."

Her eyes snapped open again and she growled behind bared teeth.

"Do as I say, bonebag. You and I both know they don't deserve to live."

The Reaper shook his head slowly.

"It's not dere time."

"I OWN you, Grim. Do it." She hissed.

Her hands balled up tightly and her eyes flared angrily. No one defied her. Grim was hers to own and control, to command and hold power over. Supernatural being or not, he would not stop her from getting her way--especially now that she wanted for the bloodshed to ensue, so that maybe, just maybe, the feeling of power and death could fill the emptiness she felt deep inside. That black pit in her heart was aching and burning so violently that something, anything, be it hatred or pent-up emotion had to be expelled. She hurt, she was in pain, and to cover it up those feelings had to be replaced with blood and grief from others. Because it stung so badly to know that--

"Dere deaths won't bring him back, Mandy. You and I both know _dat_ very well."

Despite the mob of cowards growing larger and larger by the moment, he spoke quietly and made no motion to stop them. Goddamn him, goddamn everything that was happening, the loss that had been suffered, and the knowledge that not even killing those responsible would bring things back to normal. To try and replace the missing pieces of a heart by cutting away more and more of it was a foolish idea.

Perhaps Mandy was not so astute at burying her true emotions as she had once thought.

After all, the skeleton had been able to clearly see what was going on in her mind by looking into her eyes. Which, finally, were beginning to water. That ever-present scowl remained on her face as the warm, foreign liquid clung to her eyelashes before beginning their descent down her cheek. There was no sniffling, heavy breathing or sobbing that could be heard coming from the girl. After all, she never had learned how to cry, and so none of the usual actions that so often accompanied crying could be seen. Only salty, silent tears.

"De whole Underworld will know about dere misdeeds and the side dey chose to fight for when given the chance. And once the other creatures down 'ere weed out who was fighting for Decarabia's causes, well…it may just be a fate worse den Death itself."

Grim's words seemed to take a moment to sink in as the blonde looked down at her black shoes. Though they were not quite so black anymore, but speckled with red and other matter that she would rather not think about. Noiseless tears continued to run down her face as she hefted the weight on her shoulder.

Revenge. Revenge for what? The villain was gone. His cronies were disappearing by the moment, too stupid and gullible to understand that they would be no safer in returning to a society they had just tried to overthrow than to stay and receive the death penalty they truly deserved. More blood spilled would not solve anything. It would not bring back the blood that had flowed so freely from the bodies of the beloved, bodies such as the one she was now carrying. As she tried to collect her thoughts, one in particular recurred in the back of her mind.

'_He would have let them go. In all of his cursed, blissful innocence he would not have been able to feel the loathing to have them all destroyed for their actions. His actions would have been nothing but mercy.'_

Even in death, his constant, childish purity was plaguing her every thought.

'_It's what he would have asked you to do.'_

And so it seemed the decision was made for her.

"Fine."

The word was just barely uttered, the extreme displeasure in speaking it clearly evident. To give in was to show weakness. Or so, she had once thought. Perhaps now was different.

"Letting them be ripped to shreds by their own kind sounds like a much better idea, anyways."

The stampede of escapees was now growing smaller as they faded into the distance, all but a few stragglers left behind to join them as they ran in terror. However, this was not to say that all of the monsters of the Underworld were gone. It seemed as though a few were still engaged in battle with their friends, having taken the brief moment of awe at the death of the Jutanio to sneak up on their human enemies and continue the carnage.

These were the imbeciles who deserved to die.

Mandy had almost completely forgotten that she was still in the very centre of the valley and warring, having been lost in thought and contemplation after the death of Decarabia and Billy. _This_ would be her sweet revenge. And she would grant the filth that chose to take advantage of that moment their just desserts.

"You're the most powerful being down here now that you have your scythe back and Decarabia is gone, Grim."

It was not so much a question that the blonde mumbled as a direct fact. She had never been one to beat around the bush.

"Yeah, mon, but I already told ya dat it's not right to kill the ones dat are tryin' to ru-"

Her eyes only had to shift in his direction to silence the Reaper and send chills running up his old spine.

"And I told you that I would let them go." She eyed the glimmering object he held within his white hands.

"I didn't say anything about the ones that were too stupid to leave."

He understood what she meant as soon as she spoke the words. Perhaps even before she finished speaking them. After all, Mandy always went straight to the point. Always.

With other-worldly grace and dignity she weaved in and out of the crowd of battling parties, dodging a claw here and a fang there. It was all the robed skeleton could do to simply keep up with her. How she managed to almost float through the crowd, never wavering in her speed or precision while carrying her…baggage…was beyond him. She didn't even get so much as a drop more blood on her already ruined garments as she strode to the edge of the valley's steep hill. From there, she had a clear view of the entire gorge and all of the warring creatures that filled it. No one seemed to pay any heed to the girl as she surveyed all that was before her, determination covering her pale face.

"Grim. The scythe."

Just as the skeleton caught up to her, panting and not quite as unscathed as she, the blonde outstretched her hand. He gulped.

"Perhaps you should tink dis over…"

"No."

"You might accidentally hit some of your friends in de process!"

"Unlikely, since I have no need for friends."

"Well, de humans den! Allies!"

"Your lack of faith disturbs me, bonebag. You know I don't make mistakes."

With the look on her face, it was hard not to believe her. At that moment Grim may even have believed she was invincible, untouchable.

A trick of the eye, of course. Such had always been the key to her deception.

With slight hesitation the Reaper outstretched his own arm, guiding the scythe into her hand. Had she actually been looking at him, and not focused so intently on the crowd of beasts, she may have noticed the slight tremble in his movement. In any case, she gave not a glance at him, and snatched up the blade with a swift flick of her wrist. She then crouched down against the edge of the valley and lay down the body within her arms, slowly allowing it to slide of off her shoulder and onto the barren ground. In that instant she was more delicate in the boy than she had ever been during his life, even going so far as to make sure his cap remained on his head as he lay in a heap at her feet.

"Stay here." Mandy deadpanned to the lifeless corpse. As though he were still there somewhere, quite possibly waiting for her to put her guard down before springing her with another one of his bone-crushing hugs.

The moment never came, of course, and with a slight sigh she straightened herself out, once again facing the entirety of the valley. Lifting the scythe up above her head, she closed her eyes and began to concentrate.

_"I need you to calm down, right now. Think of something peaceful, and quiet...sometime when you were very relaxed...Can you think of any such time?"_

These were Arpiagus' words before he had conjured their army from the memories within Billy's soul. Mandy took those words and wrapped her mind around them, allowing herself to fall under the cool, soothing presence of a happier time. The jungle. Trees. The riverside. Everything that had been good.

"Make everything go back to the way it was."

A bead of sweat worked its way down her temple as the scythe glimmered and shook in her hands. The staff of the blade began to feel red-hot against her flesh, began to sizzle and cast an eerie white glow once more. Gradually, cautiously, she pointed the metal point to her forehead. It was a good thing her eyes were shut tight, as the blast of energy that was brought forth almost certainly would have blinded her. The blonde shuddered and held on with the very strength of her mind, willing the memories to return to their original state. Their allies were no longer needed. They needed to go back. They were innocent. They had done their job.

"Go back." She muttered once more, as the flood of colours began to creep its way through the hordes of creatures, spilling through the edges between each body and seeping into the cracks of the valley.

And, one by one, all those she had ever known began to dissipate and fade away. Their shapes became translucent even in mid-battle, and the demons they had been engaged with were left with nothing but empty air to gape at. Within moments the gorge became almost empty, as the confused wail of the humans and demons alike died down. The remaining monsters each, in turn, raised their heads to face in the direction of the girl who had once again thwarted their efforts to destroy and take pleasure in the tearing of human flesh.

Only now, they were actually afraid of her.

Still heaving and sweating from the strain on her mind to send the allies back to their own dimensions, the blonde coughed and cleared her throat. The simple sound silenced the group of creatures staring at her, their faces only now beginning to show true horror as the realization of their fate sunk in.

"You've all been quite…annoying…"

Was the last thing any of them ever heard, and repeated itself in their minds as they saw her swing the scythe around once, a white flash aimed directly at them.

SHHHHIIIINGGGG……

The cool slice of a blade through silent air could be heard with deadly acuteness across the valley, a blinding light following soon afterwards. The scythe may have been able to be used for other purposes, true. But its main goal, hidden deep inside its wooden polish, was to bring Death. And ever since it had been reunited with its true master, the bringer of Death, it was very good at its job. Even if it was letting a mere mortal use it.

In a split-second the energy had ripped off skin, muscle and tissue, leaving only a pile of bones in place of each warrior. A thick mist of dust blanketed the valley, raining down on the only four living (though Grim hardly counted as living) beings on the bloody battlefield. Grim, Mandy-

"Arpiagus." The girl turned slightly, shaking. "And Persephone. We need to find them, now that the rest of the cretins have been dealt with appropriately."

Especially Persephone.

Persephone.

Bringer of Life.

…._Life._

**AN: Is anyone reading this? :D Yes? No? Boo? Hopefully, those who may be reading get the implications at the end there. Now, who could Mandy ever want Life returned to? Hmmmm……**


	27. A Ship Without an Anchor

**AN: Thanks so much for all the feedback, everyone. It really helps to build up the aspiration to continue. I must also inform you that MMIH still has a few chapters to go before it can be marked off as 100% finished. The official end will be marked by a 'Fin', and the story will be listed as Completed. Until you see those two signs, there's still more to come. **

**This chapter (especially the beginning) delves even further into Mandy's mind and philosophies that may or may not be shared. While it lacks in action, I believe the chapter makes up for in depth; we have hit the falling action of the story. The climax, wherein Billy and Decarabia die, must be resolved. Definition will arise.**

**On with the show,**

**-KKBS**

Blood, blood, and more blood.

Such had become the theme of the past few days.

Mandy stared across the valley, surveying the effects of the past butchery. The Underworld had become seeped in red, the bodies of the slaughtered scattered every which way across the barren earth. Mixed with the masses of demons and other supernatural creatures were almost twice as many humans, their limp forms looking almost comical strewn aside the much larger bodies of the inhumane. One and together, they were bathed in their own matter and covered with the initials of their untimely demise. Man or beast, each as alike as the other.

The blonde carefully analyzed the imagery that so filled her eyes, analyzing what exactly it meant to be alive at that moment. In the past few hours two armies had been formed and pitted against each other, neither fully aware of what exactly they were fighting for. A comparison was drawn; in both circumstances the masses were lead by one individual, one mind at the very heart and centre of the conflict. She had directed her warrior, while Decarabia had been the pillar of his forces, the drive and ambition behind the purpose. He had wanted to take over the Underworld, and so he had done everything within his power to reach his goal. He had succeeded in dominating the world below for a short time, managing to instil fear and enslave what he could. Yet still, he had fallen short and been stripped of his command. Despite his overwhelming advantages, darkness and discern for morals, he had failed.

Why was that?

It was a puzzling and unsettling thing to think about for someone who had romanced the notion of complete domination herself. The Jutanio had been the blackest of the black, cruel to the point of becoming mechanical; nothing but an empty body without emotion or care. With his brother gone and Persephone out of the way he had nothing to lose or fear, with nothing but brute strength and fury to carry him to royalty. It was not because he had not enough ambition—that was for certain. It was not because he had been too weak, without a well-thought out plan or the power enough to overthrow all that stood in his way.

Why then?

There was an inkling of a thought that pressed at the crevices at her mind, and it struck more terror into the girl than seven years of living with Death or the surreal had ever been able to do.

Perhaps, it was unwise to completely detach one's self from conscience or morality. Perchance the feelings and thoughts left for dead never truly deceased, but instead lurked and harboured, waiting to strike at the most inopportune of moments. To suppress every ounce of humanity was to create insanity.

She remembered Dec's bipolar, maddened state shortly before his suicide.

…Would that happen to her?

The Jutanio's mind had been kept in check solely through his brother, the one being he had ever truly felt compassion for during his dark transformation. Once his brother was lost, he had sunk into the murky depths of hysteria and blindness.

Was that why she had refused to allow anything to ever happen to _him? _Because he was her _anchor_, the only relatable company she had ever known?

Mandy blinked away a few flecks of the white powder that continued to drift about the valley, not quite registering that she was getting corpse in her eyes. The scythe still glistening in her hands, she resolved to put aside her thoughts for another time. She could feel hot Undead breath against her neck, and knew that Grim was worrying over her silence.

Just before he could lightly touch her shoulder, she twirled around and glared at him coldly.

"Well? What are you waiting for?"

Grim blinked and nodded quickly. There was no need for further explanation.

"I'm pretty sure dat me scythe can pick up where de forces of Life are strongest. Jody always did hate de stuff."

"Well, get to it. There are a lot of bodies down here, Grim. And you're not going to reap any of them on my watch."

The Reaper was taken aback yet again. This seemed to be a regular activity whenever he was in the presence of the blonde. In the fours days they had been apart, a different side had begun to show itself beneath her pale skin.

"And what exactly do you mean by dat?"

As if he didn't already know. The notion that Mandy would be so unnecessarily forgiving, however, was enough to make him clarify her intentions.

"You are going to use your scythe-"

"Jody?"

"Yes, _Jody, _to restore Persephone's lost powers."

"And den what?"

Mandy rolled her eyes.

"Then Miss Congeniality is going to revive every dead human to their original inadequacy."

"Dat's quite a nice ting for you to be doing, y'know. What with the whole hell-bent on power and no mercy attitude ya always had and every'ting."

Suddenly, those old memories seemed unappealing and distant. Control and everything that came with it was not so pleasant an option as it had once seemed. Old rulers would have their graves spat upon and a foul tongue alongside their names once they were deceased or usurped. But a ruler that had truly made a difference…that would grant one eternal life in the minds and on the lips of the people. And so the teenager answered flatly.

"I am in power, Grim. My accomplishments today grant me figurative immortality. There isn't a soul in the Underworld that won't repeat what happened here for a long, long time."

Immortality….

"Now quit asking stupid questions and get to work finding Life."

Mandy handed over the gleaming blade in silence. Still brooding and churning over what she had just said, her eyes could not help but glance at the crumpled figure lying a few metres away. Life had to be restored to those whose times were not yet up. She needed her anchor back, lest the ship float away.

"I'm going ta need a moment to conjure up de right supernatural powers to do dis, so-"

"Wait."

Was that a flash of white against the reddened background?

"She's near the far side of the valley."

Indeed, if they squinted hard enough the lonesome pair could see a faint outline in the distance, crouched over a heap of what looked like bodies. A shimmering aura seemed to envelope the pile, and it began to twitch and move.

"Hurry."

While there was no tangible distress in her voice, there was more than enough urgency to get her message across. She and the skeleton needed to get to the far side, and they needed to get there in a hurry. It seemed as though Persephone was already getting to work on restoring the deceased.

Mandy took off across the gorge before Grim could get a word in, sprinting while maintaining the usual disinterested expression on her face. With all of his magic the Reaper could not keep up with her, just barely managing to stay within a few feet of the pink and red blur. How nonchalant and passive she could appear when things did not concern her, while her preoccupations had her moving with energy almost akin to Billy. Billy…

Persephone's eyes lit up and a smile spread across her face when she saw the two figures advancing towards her, despite the bloodbath all around her. After all those years working around death and foulness it didn't seem to faze her quite so much.

"Mandy! Grim! This is a relief beyond all words."

"It's good ta see you made it out alive. Where were you all dis time?" Grim asked. He had not seen her once during the entire battle.

The Goddess hung her head and looked away, guilt covering her radiant face.

"Arpiagus warned me that I was unable to fight in my current state. Without my powers, he said I didn't stand a chance in war. I'm not fit to kill anything."

"So what did you do?"

Now the brunette wrung her hands and rocked back in forth.

"He took me…to the very cavern where you were held prisoner, Grim. We hid there until I could feel Decarabia's life energy give out. And soon after…I felt so many others simply disappear…"

Mandy thought back to her rash decision to slay the traitors who stayed and fought until the very end. Though she felt no regret inn her actions, the apparent discomfort Persephone felt at the loss unsettled her. If ever so slightly. There were more important matters at hand than feeling sorry for monsters, though.

"Where is Arpiagus now?" She questioned.

"I'm not sure. I believe he may have gone back to his home once the danger had passed."

"Just like that? No goodbyes?"

The brunette looked around thoughtfully.

"He never was one to be kept tied down. He's very mysterious, even to me, and would rather be left alone. Wherever he went, my deepest gratitude follows."

Mandy bowed her head slightly in respect. However ugly or annoying the old man had been, he was an essential mind behind the success of the army. His contributions were duly noted.

"You can bring everyone who dies back to Life."

Again, a blunt and direct comment. There was no need to ask whether or not the Goddess would comply with Mandy's wishes. She simply would.

"Yes, I can…once my powers are restored. For now I can only help those who are on the brink of Death, but not quite fallen over the edge."

"Good. Let's get to work then.

-GABM- -GABM- -GABM-

Renewal and restoration were two things Persephone was very grateful for.

Through the magic of the scythe (or Jody, as it was so lovingly called) she could feel her energy replenish, sense the degree at which every living thing was so precariously balanced upon, and able to spread warmth to whatever she touched. The faint yellow aura that had not surrounded her for centuries glowed as brightly as ever.

"I am ready, Grim."

Life and Death grasped the wooden handle of the blade and swung it once around their heads, sending sparks flying and a green mist to circle around the opposite kinsmen. There was no flash that accompanied the burst of energy; rather, it seemed to seep from the end of the blade and wind a trail towards the bodies that littered the cavern floor. As the golden energy neared each empty mass the Goddess mumbled words that had allowed her to do her duty for the last millennia.

"_Refero illa lost animus quod repleo lemma per vita."_

Mandy's eyebrows twitched every so slightly as a collective gasp resounded across the valley; it was as though a thousand people had inhaled at the same time, as Life was essentially poured back into their lungs. The scars and gashes that covered their bodies began to melt away, skin and flesh twisting back together to mend the damages. Hearts began to beat again, blood flowed and nerves regained their feeling. Though each person remained in a slumber, they were well and able once more.

"How good it feels…" Persephone breathed as her eyelids fluttered. "Much better than causing havoc and destruction, and committing such unnatural deeds…"

In her euphoria, she did not notice a certain young blonde step in front of her, eyes piercing and arms crossed impatiently.

"There's one more person at the other side of the valley you need to work your magic on."

The bringer of Life simply waved her hand, still seeped in the happiness and pleasure she felt in reviving so many beings at once.

"Wait another moment, Mandy. This is too wonderful to simply cast aside…"

Wrong answer.

The blonde grabbed Life's arm roughly and furrowed her eyelids until they were only slits.

"Not another moment. Now."

That changed her mind rather quickly.

"Oh, uh…yes, alright then. Off we go to help one last soul. Who did you say it was?"

"Billy."

"Oh." Suddenly she understood.

"Wait, what am I supposed to do once dese guys wake up?" Grim piped up, still holding the scythe as the last few humans finished their revitalization.

"Send them back, Grim."

"You know, dere's gonna be a whole lotta very confused people up top pretty soon. Dey'll be wondering what de heck happened down here, whether it was all a dream. Maybe I had better…"

"No. Let them keep their memories."

Mandy, ever the quick of wit, had seen what was coming. Grim could use his abilities to wipe the minds of all involved of the events of the past day. But that was not what she wanted. No one in Endsville or any other universe would be allowed to forget. Whether or not confusion erupted, people were called insane or anarchy ensued was not her concern.

"They won't forget about what happened. They won't forget about me. They'll remember my name."

…Immortality…

And with that, Mandy whisked Persephone out of the Reaper's reach and headed across the gorge, leaving him to deal with his own musings.

-GABM- -GABM- -GABM-

"Is that Billy, Mandy?"

The Goddess' voice was full of despair and distraught upon seeing the lifeless form. Particularly unnerving was the gaping hole in his midsection, a constant reminder of the agony he had suffered at the hands—or rather, claws—of the Jutanio. It seemed to stare at her with the same dullness as his clouded eyes.

"Yes. Fix him."

Eyes focused on nothing, arms left to dangle, face cast in an expression of what could only be expressed as intense pain. Such had become of Billy. Or, as it now was, the body that had once contained Billy.

Slowly, the brunette walked over to the corpse and crouched down beside it. Her face crumpled and distorted as she neared the body. It reeked terribly with a scent only her nose could detect, a nose that had been attuned to the balance of Life and Death for eons. It was not rotting. No, there was something else amiss…

"Persephone."

The command for her to hurry up.

The bringer of Life ran her hands down the young man's body and across his arms, her alarm increasing by the second. What was this? No, it couldn't…though she had seen it happen a few times before, when the unfortunate had been caught in such a situation…

Her hands fumbled and her breath grew ragged with fear.

"No, no no no…."

Eyes now wide with terror, she ripped off the remains of Billy's shirt and placed her fingers in the hole through his stomach.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

The blonde's arms finally uncrossed and she leapt forward, anger streaking into her voice. What was that hag doing to Billy's body?

"I…there's…"

Persephone's eyes filled with tears as her fingers combed through the muscle and tissue, the rotten stench intensifying to the point where she could no longer bear it.

"Spit it out!"

The tears slid down her face as she continued feel around, a black vapour now clearly visible to her. That was the last sign. She was certain.

"In…in some cases of extreme energy, th-there are instances where blackness is transferred to the recipient of damage, and—and the soul is clouded…"

"In English you old bag!"

"His soul is POISONED!" The brunette finally broke down and screamed, her weeping growing louder by the moment.

"When Decarabia came into direct contact with him, and killed him…he essentially poisoned his soul. It's been fouled in a way that cannot be cleansed."

"What does that mean? Can you or can you not bring him back?"

"Yes…"

"Then what's the problem?"

"If I were to bring him back, he would not be the same as before. He may be cunning, devious, cynical…any trait that Dec once had may have been passed on and drenched his soul."

Now it was Mandy's turn to be left without words.

"So Billy would…be different? Smart, even?"

"Most likely. Sinister as well. A blacked heart—every last drop of innocence strained away."

An intelligent Billy…what a thing to fathom. If he was brought back he may be a bit on the dark side, true, but he would finally be able to understand what she was saying. He may even be able to help her on her quest for domination, serving as the ultimate lackey, making up for years of stupidity and annoyance. It was a most tantalizing thought. So what if some of his purity was lost? A cunning deviant like herself in exchange for an idiot…it was the perfect deal.

"I can still revive him, bring Life back to him…but I would weep for the loss of his purity…"

He could still be brought back to life.

But what is a ship without an anchor?

"No. My Billy is dead. And his body will stay like that."

Time froze.

**AN: Oooh, what's gonna happen? I know this chapter was very long and ended in a cliffhanger, so congrats to anyone who read it in its entirety! Remember, this is not yet the end of the story. There is more to it. Stick around to see what happens next.**

**Note: The line "Refero illa lost animus quod repleo lemma per vita" that Persephone says is Latin. It translates roughly as "Bring back these lost souls and fill them with Life."**

**Just a neat tidbit for ya.**

**Remember, feedback helps to get the creative juices flowing, so any comments will be well appreciated. : ) Thanks. **


	28. It Is Greater to Be Loved Than Feared

**AN: Hopefully this chapter will stir you and make you think. I would like at least 10 reviews before I update again, because this is, decidedly, the second last chapter. In order to get that last chapter out I'd like to hear what people are thinking, feeling, etc etc. If that doesn't happen, well….Pfff. xD I'll update anyways, but more comments will probably entice me to get my ass in gear sooner. It's always so much more motivating to work when you get feedback, be it positive or negative. **

**Anywho.**

**Life and Death, people. What is important in our lives? There is no right or wrong answer, because good and bad are not definitions, but opinions. Mull over that.**

**Chapter 28,**

**-KKBS  
**

It was an odd sight, to see a soul as it was harvested.

Grim had often allowed Billy and Mandy to tag along as he went about his 'job', as he called it, if only to stop their constant nagging.

"_Because seeing dead stuff is coooool_!" The boy would exclaim.

She had always remained rather passive as the Reaper had closed in on each victim, enshrouding them as they screamed and wailed their last pleas for a second chance. Though there was a glimmer of interest in her eyes, it was encased in stone. Not an eyebrow twitched as his scythe was raised, preparing to cut the immortal soul free from its flesh counterpart.

"_Look away now, children. Dese kinds of tings are not for de likes of you to see."_

And through some kind of black magic, their eyes had been averted each time. While they both wished they could see the final stage of the reaping process, one for their own deluded amusement, the other for retention of cold tactics, neither was able to look on. When their heads were finally allowed to turn back to the spot where the deceased had been confronted, they found only Grim standing there, a somber look on his face.

"_Now let's get outta here, you two. Who wants smoothies?"_

This time, however, she was able to see what truly happened as the scythe made its final cut.

Grim had finished taking care of those Persephone had restored to life, sending them back to their own universes and making sure each retained their memory. When he had returned to the Goddess and Mandy, expecting to see Billy with them, he had been stopped dead in his tracks. The news hit him as hard as it hit the girl, and he was left to gape at the dead corpse that remained beside a weeping woman in white and a blank blonde.

Billy couldn't be brought back without drastic changes?

Even if his body was retained the soul that rested within would forever be tainted if Persephone used her powers to call him back.

"Does that mean his soul is already corrupted?" The girl had asked.

"No…not yet." The brunette had replied between tears. "Decarabia was not powerful enough to tamper with a spirit in its original dormant state."

"Interesting." Had been the placid response "Reap him, Grim."

"Wha-Mandy!" The skeleton had nearly shrieked in surprise at her nonchalant solution to a terrible misfortune. "Just like dat? You gonna let him go?"

"What choice is there, bonebag? Billy is dead. Not even the all-powerful Goddess of Life"--here she had thrown a scornful look in the other woman's direction-- "and Grim Reaper can bring back the Billy that I knew. So let's get on with it."

Everything to her, it seemed, was on a constant plane of black and white. Anything to her benefit would be kept close. Anything less than benign was given no contemplation. A dead Billy, it seemed, was a useless Billy.

Perhaps she had not changed as much as he thought…

"Are you sure you want to go through wit dis, Mandy?"

"Yes."

He had sighed and hung his shoulders—he never had truly enjoyed his job. It was just so…depressing.

And now here she stood, watching as the Boy Who Could Not Die was separated from his innermost self.

There was no supernatural pull at her neck which had so often before forced her to gaze in the opposite direction, leaving her only to her imaginings of what was taking place. She watched as the blade swung down and through the body, though no tissue was damaged in the process. Rather, the scythe appeared to simply disappear into the earth below the body, a faint white outline the only telltale sign that the blade had not missed its mark altogether. A faint tinkling was heard, like the shattering of the most delicate of china. The cutting edge was dragged through the torso, and a white aura began to seep from the penetration.

No screams, no cries. The Dead could only whisper their goodbyes.

A glowing orb of white light rose above his body, much akin to the way Deacarbia's had when he was put to rest. However, as bright as that orb may have been, the one that arose from Billy was even cleaner looking, nearly devoid of impurity or blemishes such as grays mixed in with the blinding white. There was goodness in this soul.

The sphere had drifted between the three onlookers, circling around the Goddess and skeleton as though examining them before hovering in front of the blonde. Unconsciously her hand had risen to touch it, to examine what it was like to feel the encompassment of all that was her former friend. Her eyes remained fixed to it as one delicate finger skimmed the surface of the orb. All at once, a thousand memories, each with one voice, came flooding into her mind.

"_There's so much I wanna do with you Mandy! We gots to go see this giant hamburger I…"_

"_Must've been that steak sauce sandwich I had for lunch…"_

"_You can eat me first…even though I'll probably taste like old smell-ay socks…."_

"_Aw, Mandy. Don't be all sad. We can be dateless together!..."_

"_Mama always said a hug makes ya happy…"_

"_I-I know stuff, but I don't…and it really, really hurts. The stupid words are all stuck in my mouth, and I wanna say them…but I dunno whats the heck they are!"_

She drew her finger back sharply, the pain of the memories too great for even her to bear. After giving her head a shake to clear it from thought, she sighed and closed her eyes.

"Don't worry, Billy. Soon." She murmured.

"What was dat, Mandy?"

An eyelid lifted, and she took a moment to watch as the shining globe descended upon the blood-stained earth, assuming its place with so many that had died before it. Hell absorbed the entity as well as the bodily remains of a young man whose time had come far too early. When his body was finally out of sight, she chose to respond.

"Grim? Where do the souls of the reaped go, exactly?"

The Reaper scratched the back of his skull and furrowed his eye sockets, trying to figure out how to explain the events that took place post-mortem.

"Well, in short, dey go down to de lower levels of de Underworld."

Ah, the arcane Lower Depths. While mere mortals and living Underworld creatures could trespass on the upper levels on Hell, they could only reach the very bottom if they were deceased. Only the dead, who were dispatched from their flesh encasements, were supposed to be able to something that so defied reality; the Lower Depths.

"Once dey get dere, each soul is ferried across de River Styx by Charon. At de other side is the Afterlife, home of the dead."

"And how do you know all of this?"

"Well, I used to spend most of me time visiting de Afterlife when I wasn't on duty. Before I was forced into out little 'agreement', dat is."

Her eyes scanned across the skeleton and the silent brunette beside him, apparently searching for any hints of mistruth or deception in his words. Finding none, she gazed out at the walls of the valley, taking in the stench of copper and visible redness one last time. When she was finished, she turned to the Reaper and whispered.

"Take me up top Grim. We're going back to Endsville."

-GABM- -GABM-

It was a portrait of confusion and aftershock in the world above. People were gathered n large clusters, whispering and trying to come to terms with what had really happened just hours before.

"Do you remember being attacked by some giant pig thing?"

"I could have sworn I saw a dingo…."

"I remember being bitten but whatever the heck happened after that, I got no idea...."

"I remember asking for cheese. Does anyone have cheese? Gladys! I need a cheese sandwich please!"

Snippets and breaths of conversation met her ears as Mandy materialized in the centre of the town, followed soon after by Persephone and Grim. Much to her surprise, however (and initial disappointment) Endsville was not so much a place of anarchy as it was bewilderment. Besides the crowds of murmuring inhabitants, other civilians were walking or running about aimlessly, trying to make sense of the apparent dream the entire town had shared. Interestingly, there were no cars on the road, nor were there people in houses. Everyone seemed to have taken time off to share their stories and theories as to what exactly had happened.

Mandy cleared her throat absentmindedly, as something had tickled the back of her mouth.

Everyone was silenced.

A thousand heads—or whatever the population of Endsville was, no one was quite sure—swung around to see where the tiny cough had come from. Each recognized in an instant who was standing before them, and a wave of people began to stampede in her direction before she could register what was happening.

"It's Mandy! It's her!"

"You saved us, I remember that!"

"That captain girl with the unpleasant personality! Thank you! Thank you!"

While they may not have understood what had happened in Hell below, they recognized their former leader's face. This collective memory relieved the people who were now charging towards them, arms waving and fists pumping in celebration. It was comforting to see a familiar face. It was even more comforting for pawns with no capability to think for themselves to greet their Master. For sheep, who only knew how to follow, to be without a leader was unthinkable.

Finally, they had their conductor.

They nearly trampled over the Reaper in their joy, not even seeming to realize that they were smothering Death himself as they reached out to the girl. Persephone had receded into the shadows of an alleyway, unaccustomed to being in the mortal world, and even less so to being surrounded by people. Although surrounded by people on a daily basis, Mandy also tried to back away from the oncoming mass, wrinkling her non-existent nose as a dozen hands reached out to pat her on the back or cling to her ankles. A few kisses were even planted on her cheek as a thank-you, causing her blood to boil further and her breaking point to become stretched to its limit. Before she felt herself snap and fly into a fury, she grabbed the scythe which had been separated from Grim's hands while he was crushed.

As soon as such an object of power found itself into her hands, the crowd ceased its annoying outburst. Eyes flaring, she sent each civilian stepping backwards with a light twirl of the blade.

"You there! Yes, all of you. Idiots." She yelled into the crowd, whispering the last word under her breath.

"My name is Mandy. It's one that you will all do well to remember."

"ALL HAIL MANDY!"

The whoops and cheers carried from those closest to her through the masses, trailing down as far as her eye could see. It appeared as though the entire town was trying to hear what she had to say, despite most being out of earshot.

"Quiet, you cretins!" She growled, and the cheering stopped.

The entire town was listening and obeying every whim she proposed.

"You will build monuments in my name. There will be a chapter in each history book dedicated to me. What happened in Hell is no dream. I was your leader. A battle for the very existence of reality as we know it took place, and a grand ruler proved victorious."

She had them all wrapped around her finger.

"You will remember me."

Nodding of heads, giddy shouts and exclamations of relief.

"You." Mandy turned and faced her father. He winced in fear.

"You will be in charge of establishing a statue of me, to be erected in the middle of the Town Square."  
Phil shivered and bowed in compliance to her wishes.

"You." She turned to her mother. She gasped in terror.

"You will be in charge of making sure my legacy lives on in the hearts and minds of the people. I don't know how you're going to do that, but…I guess that's your problem. Not mine."

Claire squeaked and nodded furiously.

"And you." The blonde directed her voice towards the crowd once more.

"Get to work writing everything that happened down. Stat."

With a snap of her fingers the crowd dispersed, each citizen bumbling off to complete some meaningless task in her name. She was in control. And she knew it.

"Grim."

Her face remained concealed, hidden by shadows and veiled by indifference. The Reaper was just beginning to pick himself up and dust himself off when she whispered his name.

"I expect you to tell my story to your Underworld buddies for the next few centuries."

His eye sockets widened at the statement.

What a curious thing to say.

"You can tell dem yourself, mon, de next time we wind up down dere. What with your apparent domination of Endsville I'm pretty sure you'll be needin' a lot more supernatural magic in de near future."

There was a scoff. It sounded like acid.

She clutched the scythe tightly, and turned around to meet his baffled look. Now he began to worry more than he thought was possible.

She was smiling, and the universe was not imploding.

"A ship without an anchor, Grim, is liable to drift away no matter what captain it has."

"Mandy, I don't-"

"Understand? Figures." She rolled her eyes in typical Mandy fashion.

"You don't mean…"

"Immortality, bonebag. I've gained it, just like I always wanted. And you didn't believe I'd ever be a great and terrible Queen. My reign may have ended, but my complete domination of the thoughts of these peons has not. And won't anytime soon."

It was more a smirk than a smile of pure happiness…but perhaps that made it even more unsettling. A sinking feeling began to gnaw at the pit of the Reaper's stomach as the realization of her choice of words dawned upon him. The scythe was still in her hands.

"I have two coins in my pocket. I believe they will be more than enough payment."

"Mandy, if you're gonna do what I tink you're gonna do, please, reconsider…"

She looked down at her shoes, trying to think of an appropriate way to answer him.

"Thanks for the past seven years, Grim. I'll be seeing you again shortly."

Mandy rose the accursed scythe to her face, watching the blonde reflection that smirked back at her. Deciding that this was not her, she settled her eyebrows back into their usual frown. That was Mandy. That was how she would be remembered. In power and control of her life until the very end. A great and powerful leader.

Perhaps it was not so bad, to be loved instead of feared.

A quick flick of the wrist swept the blade across her pale neck; sweet, savoury blood ran down her chest and stained her trademark flower red.

**AN: A ship without an anchor will be crushed against the rocks. A good captain knows that preserving the vessel at any cost is better than losing it to the sea; even if this means abandoning ship and watching as it fades out of sight.**

**Note: I'm not emo. I know that Mandy is not emo. If you wish for a detailed explanation of why Mandy did what she did (though I hope the explanation was stated clearly enough throughout the story) please message me. **

**Opinions and comments greatly appreciated. Thanks. One last chapter to go. **


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